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Post by DazaB on Nov 4, 2008 0:54:59 GMT
Ladies & Gents,
I was sent an e-mail by a Bangor City fan which went as follows:
I have sent him what I know, but I'm not as old as some of you lot...
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Post by jupu on Nov 4, 2008 1:18:34 GMT
If you forward the email to me - jupugh@tiscali.co.uk - I'll forward the article I did on Steve in the programme a couple of seasons ago.
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Post by DazaB on Nov 4, 2008 1:31:02 GMT
It's on its way.
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Post by prestonwcfc on Nov 4, 2008 11:25:07 GMT
Daz - Do you have an email address we can send things to ?
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andyc
Reserve Teamer
Posts: 60
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Post by andyc on Nov 4, 2008 15:08:29 GMT
Julian,
Steve Crompton is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining players seen down the Lane in the last 30 years +. Mind you, he'd be sent off within 5 minutes of every games these days! Any chance of re-publishing your article on here to give us old gimmers a chance to reminisce?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2008 15:27:58 GMT
Ah Crompo, Eddie Shoestring lookeelikee, thunderous thighs powering down the right, pinpoint crosses into the box, and a surreal love/hate relationship with Selb.
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Post by cityfan on Nov 4, 2008 17:56:05 GMT
What a great player, one of my all-time favourites. We will never see anyone like him in a city shirt again - that's for sure. Happy Birthday Steve and may you have many more of them.
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Post by prestonwcfc on Nov 4, 2008 19:26:11 GMT
mmmmm Makes the Bognor programme easier Mr Pugh
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Post by DazaB on Nov 4, 2008 19:33:45 GMT
Daz - Do you have an email address we can send things to ? I've forwarded his e-mail to your e-mail address.
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Post by jupu on Nov 5, 2008 7:46:52 GMT
Memory Lane
In over 40 years since the award began, Steve Crompton is the only winger ever to have been voted by City fans as the Player of the Year. In fact Steve lifted the title twice, in 1980/81 and 1984/85. Neither season was memorable for City supporters. In fact 1984/85 was about as bad as it can get – we were relegated from the Gola League (now the Conference) and we’ve never been back there since.
However, that’s no reflection on Steve himself. He was Nobby Clark’s first addition to the squad that won the Southern League Premier Division title in 1978/79 and he fitted in straight away. His skill, pace and effort on the right wing made him an instant hit with City fans and it was probably only a matter of time before Steve earned the ultimate supporters’ accolade.
I don’t have any details of how the voting went in either of the two seasons in which Steve won the title but in 1980/81 I think it’s fair to say that he was the most consistent player in a season which saw several players out for long spells through injury. City got as far as the quarter-finals of the F.A. Trophy that year, losing at Bishops Stortford, but in the league we struggled and finished the season in 12th place – our lowest ever placing during Nobby Clark’s reign as manager.
In 1984/85 is a more intriguing story. By the time that the winner was announced, Steve had played his last game in a Worcester City shirt after falling out of favour with manager George Armstrong, who transfer listed him. Things came to a head in the home match with Kettering Town on 9 March, when Steve lost possession of the ball and allowed a Kettering player a clear run through on goal. Bryan Mogford chased back and in an attempt to save the situation deliberately tripped the Kettering player, for which he was sent off. Despite playing with ten men, City took the lead through Malcolm Phelps in the second half, only to concede twice in the final ten minutes to lose the match 1-2. Afterwards the City manager implied that the result might have been different but for certain players and famously said: “We won’t get relegated.” He was wrong of course.
Steve went out on loan to Runcorn soon afterwards as Armstrong sought to bring in fresh faces in a desperate attempt to stay up and signed for the Linnets on a permanent basis in the summer of 1985.
In a further twist I recall that due to an error, voting forms for the Player of the Year weren’t handed out until the final match of the 1984/85 season, at home to Nuneaton Borough. The award couldn’t therefore be made on the pitch prior to the final home game, as was the usual custom, and I wonder just how many votes were actually submitted in the circumstances. I would suspect that as he moved on over the summer, Steve was therefore never presented with his award, but if anyone reading this recalls otherwise, please let me know.
For the record, Steve was signed by Nobby Clark from Hereford United in the summer of 1979 for what was then a club record fee of £4,000. He went on to make 287 first team appearances (64 goals) for City over the next six years and went on to play for Runcorn and Bangor City before retiring.
Update - Steve is now assistant manager at Bala Town. He only stayed a couple of seasons at Bangor, suffered badly with injury, and dropped into local Cymru Alliance football, he lives around Ruthin in North Wales. His son Sam Crompton was on the Shrewsbury Town academy for a couple of years but has since been released.
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