Next up on the list is another attacker who played for the Gulls a decade ago. This man stuck around only for a year, becoming a bit of a journeyman. Personally I'm surprised to see him get three votes, but he did well for us in a year spent at the highest level we've reached in a few years. It's…
Adebayo Akinfenwa
Time spent at club: 2004-2005
Gulls Appearances: 41
Gulls Goals: 16
Bayo Akinfenwa started his career at Barry Town in 2002, before he joined Boston United. Three appearances later, he joined Leyton Orient, again just for a couple of appearances. A month spent at Rushden was followed by a spell with Doncaster, before Torquay took a punt on him in 2004, to replace David Graham. This was Bayo's first club he spent over six months, and he made 41 appearances for United, finding the net 16 times as we got relegated at Colchester. Swansea City signed him in the summer of 2005 after a tribunal (if I recall correctly?). He scored around 20 times for the Swans, in over 70 appearances. He spent two months at Millwall in 2007/08, before going to Northampton. From 2008-2014, he swapped from Northampton to Gillingham, then back to Northampton, before returning to the Gills. He was released in the summer, and ended up at AFC Wimbledon, where he is currently playing regularly.
Bayo has scored over 130 goals in his career. Off the pitch, he is renowned for being a beast - he is the strongest player on FIFA 15 and has his 'Beast Mode' clothing range, I believe.
While he was only at Plainmoor for a year, he's certainly the sort of player you don't forget, and it was his goals that nearly kept us in League One a decade ago.
Yep, Liked him. Shame there was that spat about pay etc. He could have become a legend for the Gulls. Always amazed how he managed to find the net despite having markers close. No long shots or spectacular goals, just sharp instincts around the box. Him and Colin Bettany in the same team, awesome.
The third player to pick up 3 points alongside Bayo and Garry Nelson is a man nicknamed "The Dude". If that's right, then he needs no further introduction. It's…
Derek Dawkins
Time spent at club: 1984-1988(?)
Gulls Appearances: 175
Gulls Goals: 7
Derek started his career at Leicester in 1977, making three appearances for the Foxes before moving to Mansfield. He made 73 appearances for the Field Mill outfit, before joining Bournemouth. His spell on the South Coast was a poor one, making just eight appearances before he dropped out of the Football League. In 1984, he rejoined the league as Torquay signed him from Weymouth. He went on to spend six years at Plainmoor, scoring the only goal as the Gulls beat Tottenham in a League Cup 2nd Round tie at Plainmoor in 1987. His other top moment in a Gulls shirt came in the great escape year with Bryn the dog, where Dawkins filled in at centre half as United just about survived the drop.
Dawkins went on to play for Newport, Yeovil and Gloucester. While he was at Plainmoor, Dawkins worked with the youth team, and was part of the staff that brought through Lee Sharpe. He now works in Spain with Sheffield United.
Watched the Tottenham game on youtube the other day. Great game.
Never saw him play sadly, but my dad always said what a good player he was.
Never a fan of Bayo. Was huge and strong, but always felt that he didn't try as hard as he could have. Turned it on mid week against Peterborough i remember, but that was the only time i was impressed. Constantine SHOULD have been the better player that season.
The fourth and final player to pick up 3 points on the list was another Gulls from the late 1990's. He was a defender who racked up over a century of appearances for United, which is no mean feat. It's…
Jimmy Aggrey
Time spent at club: 1998-2001
Gulls Appearances: 110
Gulls Goals: 2
Despite never seeing Aggrey play much at all, he is a man who still gets remembered often today, so he must have been popular in his three years as a Gull. Jimmy started his career at Arsenal, before going to Fulham. He made no appearances for the Cottagers either, so in October 1998 he joined Torquay on a free. He started as a back up, before the Gulls sold Wayne Thomas to Stoke, which allowed Aggrey a chance in the first team. Despite a few suspensions, he made the most of it, and he won 15 Man of the Match awards in the 2000/01 campaign, winning Supporters Player of the Year that season.
He went on to leave the Gulls in December that year, in rather sad circumstances, as he reached an agreement with Mike Bateson to terminate his contract. Aggrey has since gone on to play for a number of clubs, Dover, Yeovil, TNS, Bohemians and Woking. He retired from professional football after he left Woking, turning to acting, where he featured in Sky One TV show 'Dream Team'.
I forgot about Jimmy Aggrey when making my choices. Don't think he would have made it but I have fond memories now I've been reminded. What were the sad circumstances that led to him terminating his contract? I don't remember that incident.
There may not have been something that happened - just it seemed the way he went from supporters POTY to having his contract terminated 6 months suggests something went on behind the scenes, to me anyway. Alas, we progress on to the players that picked up four points. This player is a true legend of Torquay United, and I feel if more fans who had voted had seen him in his hey day, he would have gathered more votes. Its…
Tommy Northcott
Time spent at club: 1949-1952, 1958-1966
Gulls Appearances: 410
Gulls Goals: 134
Tommy Northcott started his career at Torquay in 1949, making 60 appearances over 3 seasons, scoring 10 times for the Gulls. In 1952, Northcott moved on to Cardiff City, making around 70 appearances for the Bluebirds, and scoring some vital goals in the meantime. He then spent 3 years at Lincoln City, making 94 appearances for the Imps, scoring 34 goals. In 1958, he was brought back to Devon by then manager Eric Webber, who beat off competition from Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle. Northcott linked up with fellow strike-partner Sammy Collins for the second time, and hit off just as they had done in their first spell together. His goals helped Torquay get promoted to the third tier, before he formed a partnership with fellow Gulls legend Robin Stubbs, for a couple of seasons. Between them, they scored over 100 goals over three seasons.
In 1966, Northcott was released by Frank O'Farrell, after helping the side get promoted back to Division 3. Northcott hung around in the non leagues in Devon, with Bridgwater and Barnstaple for a couple of years. Sadly, Tommy passed away in September 2008, having suffered from Alzheimers disease for a couple of years.
I am old enough to remember Tommy in his best years. Obviously if you are not old enough to have seen him play it's hard to put him in a top ten.
What I would say that burly Tommy was superb in the air although only around 5 ft 8in.
Very hard to knock off the ball when in possession.
He was a schoolboy international, which in the backwoods of South Devon was some achievement.
He is still rememember end with affection at Cardiff City who were in the top division during his time there.
I still remember his homecoming game v Southampton. He scored the equaliser at the Babbacombe End in 1-1 draw and he received a wonderful reception.
Time spent at club: 1984-1988(?)
Gulls Appearances: 175
Gulls Goals: 7
Derek started his career at Leicester in 1977, making three appearances for the Foxes before moving to Mansfield. He made 73 appearances for the Field Mill outfit, before joining Bournemouth. His spell on the South Coast was a poor one, making just eight appearances before he dropped out of the Football League. In 1984, he rejoined the league as Torquay signed him from Weymouth. He went on to spend six years at Plainmoor, scoring the only goal as the Gulls beat Tottenham in a League Cup 2nd Round tie at Plainmoor in 1987. His other top moment in a Gulls shirt came in the great escape year with Bryn the dog, where Dawkins filled in at centre half as United just about survived the drop.
Dawkins went on to play for Newport, Yeovil and Gloucester. While he was at Plainmoor, Dawkins worked with the youth team, and was part of the staff that brought through Lee Sharpe. He now works in Spain with Sheffield United.
"The Dude", one of my favourites as a youngster when I first started watching Torquay. Not in my top 10, but gave me one of my greatest moments as a TUFC supporter which has rarely or almost never been bettered since when he scored "that goal" vs Tottenham. Before that game during the warm up a lot of kids were hanging over the hoardings shouting to the Spurs players, waving their programmes asking for their autographs, none of them responded but Derek Dawkins ran over and signed quite a few. Little did those kids know at that time that the match winner was signing their programme. (I didnt have a bloody pen)
My first game was the Crewe/Bryn the police dog/last day 86-87 great escape, so 87-88 was my first full season and it was a really memorable one which I always rate as one of the best I have had as a supporter, there was the cup exploits vs Spurs and Coventry, near promotion after years of struggle, the great Cyril Knowles and many memorable characters in the team, "The Dude" being one of them. I remember an evening game he wasnt playing and a bunch of us kids went up to him asking for his autograph, he was a real gent and obliged and chatted to us all, and boy was he dressed flash in his "Del Boy" camel coat and snappy suit, hence the nickname.
I actually put "The Dude" in my nominations for the TUFC hall of fame thread a while back. A very good thread that didnt quite take off, but would go together really well with this one.
You are my torquay, my only torquay, you make me happy when skies are grey, you'll never know, just, how much i love you, so don't take my torquay away.
(laa, laa, - laaaa, - la, la, - laa, laa, - laaaa, - la, la. - la,la,la,la,la, - la,la,la,la....).
Sorry to butt in but I've not posted much lately and am catching up tonight...can I say how much I'm enjoying this thread? Thanks for compiling it all, it must have taken ages. Oh, and I'm much too young to remember some of these names...!
At last the first of my top ten to appear. I was starting to think my list had been discarded!
Tommy Northcott. Absolute legend and a really nice bloke. I had the pleasure of being a team mate of his for Newton Abbot Spurs in the South Western League, along with his brother George who was also a stalwart for Torquay. George didn't make it into my top ten but perhaps should have. A list of 10 over a 116 years history is bloody difficult!
I also concur with Westbaygull. Damned good thread!
I'm glad people are enjoying the feature! Moving on, the second player who picked up four points was another striker who played in the second half of the 20th century. It's…
Willie Brown
Time spent at club: 1975-1978
Gulls Appearances: 139
Gulls Goals: 47
As with Jean Pierre Simb, I struggled to find a photo of this former Gull, so I've decided to go without one. Brown started his career at Burnley as a 17 year old in 1967, making a single appearance for the Lancashire outfit. In 1969 he joined Carlisle, where he scored 8 times in 19 appearances. On top of this, he spent some of the 69/70 season on loan at Barrow, where he found the net once in six games. After one season with the Cumbrians, Brown moved on to Newport, where he made nearly 170 appearances. He found the net 50 times over his four seasons with the Welsh outfit. In 1974 he spent some time on loan at Hereford, scoring 6 in 9 games. Willie then spent a year at Brentford, again having a decent scoring record of 9 in 16 for the Bees. In 1975, he joined Torquay for a fee of £5,000. He became a hit at Plainmoor over 3 years, scoring close to a half-century of goals for the club.
In 1978, Brown left league football. Later, he continued his involvement in football, holding the role of commercial manager at Minehead.
Next up on the list is a much more recent Gull. Not gonna lie, I'm a tad surprised he picked up as many votes (4) as he has done, but even so you cannot deny he was an excellent player for us. It's…
Mark Ellis
Time spent at club: 2007-2012
Gulls Appearances: 136
Gulls Goals: 12
The big defender started his career at Exeter City, before Bolton signed him as a trainee in the summer of 2007. He failed to make a start at the Reebok, and moved to Torquay on loan in November that year. Ellis went on to play over 20 times in a 6 month loan spell, and he was brought to the club permanently the following summer. He spent four years as a permanent Gull, albeit with a spell out on loan at Forest Green in 2009. Ellis was part of the side that won promotion back to the Football League, and then came so close to getting promoted again but for those consecutive playoff defeats in 2011 and 2012.
He left the Gulls to join Crewe in the summer of 2012 for a fee of £70,000. He played League One football for two years, before leaving for free in the summer. Mark is currently playing in League Two with leaders Shrewsbury Town.
