1981-1982?

[Drover]

Don't know if I have attached the pic right,but I was sorting out my drawers the other day and came across a birthday card that was signed for me by the Rovers squad.I think it was in March 1982.Anyway I come across it every few years and have a good peruse at the signatures and try and work them all out,but I always only get about 14 or 15 of them for certain,I wondered if any of you can get the rest from the picture?

So far I have

1 Russ Wilcox
2 Steve Lister
3 Glyn Snodin
4 ?
5 Colin "bullet header" Douglas
6 Ian Snodin
7 ?
8 Terry Cooper
9 Hugh Dowd?
10 ?
11 Daral Pugh
12 ?
13 David Harle
14 ?
15 Billy Russell
16 ?
17 Pat Lally
18 Gary/Colin/Gerry?????
19 Willie Boyd
20 Paul Maxted/Mosted?????
21 Glen Humphries
22 Stuart Mell
23 Richard Dyson/Patrick Dawson??????

Cannot make out Billy Bremner,Dave Bentley,Alan Little or Alan Warboys unless It's unobvious.

[Filo]

Is 16 Ian Nimmo?

[1879Rovers]

4. Carl Swann?

[1879Rovers]

7. Glenn Humphries?

[1879Rovers]

16. Hugh Dowd?

[Lesonthewest]

Would Andy Kowalski be one of the missing ones.

[mjg]

23 Richie Dawson , saw him score in the cup in a 2-1 defeat at Norwich

[Drover]

Thanks guys,it's harder than people realise.No wonder most players add their squad number nowadays.

Filo,I don't think 16 is Nimmo.Might be one of the other scribbles though.Having another study at 16 It looks like Philip .....?(+short surname)Anyone remember Any players called Phil at that period?

1879Rovers, no 4 could possibly be Carl Swann.But I think Humphries is 21 and Hugh Dowd is 9.

[Drover]

Would Andy Kowalski be one of the missing ones.

Les,I Think No 10 could be Kowalski.thanks.

[Drover]

23 Richie Dawson , saw him score in the cup in a 2-1 defeat at Norwich

Cheers mjg,I thought it was Dawson(could'nt remember his first name for certain) but the autograph looked like there is a y in the middle of Dawson and that put me off a bit,but now Im pretty sure your right.

[donnievic]

Can't see number 1 being Russ Wilcox

[Norfolk N Chance]

14 Denis Peacock

[Drover]

14 Denis Peacock

Just realised Norfolk,There is no number 14,It's the tail end of Pat Lally's signature.DOH! 

[1879Rovers]

I didn't think Kowalski joined us until about 1983

[Drover]

I didn't think Kowalski joined us until about 1983

Yes your right.

[Drover]

Can't see number 1 being Russ Wilcox

Ofcourse,What was I thinking.Wrong era.

A few more names from 1982 Gary Liddell,Stuart Robertson and Clive wiggington.

[nice one rovers]

No 16 is Philip ...

[Al4475]

Drover no 1 could well be Russ Wilcox as he started out as a young pro at Donny before moving on and coming back from Hull.

I'm not sure it was quite that early - but I wouldn't write it off! He'd have been about 17 in 1981 - so could well be him - not sure he made any appearances but he was definitely on the books before making his name elsewhere!

[BobG]

Surely Wiggington was earlier than 82 Drover? Wasn't he a Maurice Setters signing? Or did I just make that up?

BobG

[Lifelong supporter]

Not sure you made it up but Drover is right.
Wiggington arrived, initially on loan from Grimsby, in '82 under Billy Bremner.
Setters got the chop in 1974.

[The Red Baron]

Drover no 1 could well be Russ Wilcox as he started out as a young pro at Donny before moving on and coming back from Hull.

I'm not sure it was quite that early - but I wouldn't write it off! He'd have been about 17 in 1981 - so could well be him - not sure he made any appearances but he was definitely on the books before making his name elsewhere!

Russ Wilcox made his debut in the last game of the 1980-81 season and was at the club until 1983.

[Drover]

Drover no 1 could well be Russ Wilcox as he started out as a young pro at Donny before moving on and coming back from Hull.

I'm not sure it was quite that early - but I wouldn't write it off! He'd have been about 17 in 1981 - so could well be him - not sure he made any appearances but he was definitely on the books before making his name elsewhere!

Russ Wilcox made his debut in the last game of the 1980-81 season and was at the club until 1983.

Thanks Al4475 and Red Baron.Thats interesting,I had always taken it was Russ Wilcox,it looks like it so much,but when donnievic said he cannot see it being so,I thought hang on a minute,Russ played for us in the 1990's,but that explains it guys.I also think a couple of the others might be youth or reserves players,like no 16 Philip???

[The Red Baron]

I don't know if it helps at all, but below is a list of players who made first-team appearances in 1981-82:

ALLANSON, Gary Ernest
BENNETT, Desmond (Desi)
BOYD, William (Willie)
BREMNER, William John (Billy)
CAWTHORNE, Graham John
COOPER, Terence (Terry)
DAWSON, Richard
DOUGLAS, Colin Francis
DOWD, Hugh Oliver
FARRELL, Peter John
HARLE, David
HUMPHRIES, Glenn
HUMPHRIES, Stephen Rodney (Steve)
LALLY, Patrick Anthony (Pat)
LIDDELL, Gary
LISTER, Stephen Haley (Steve)
LITTLE, Alan
MELL, Stewart Albert
NIMMO, Ian Wallace
NOTEMAN, Wayne L.
PARKINSON, Keith James
PUGH, Daral James
RUSSELL, William McKnight (Billy)
SNODIN, Glynn
SNODIN, Ian
SWAN, Carl
WARBOYS, Alan
WIGGINTON, Clive Anthony


The coaching staff, in addition to Billy Bremner, was Dave Bentley and David Pugh. The physio was Gerry Delahunt.

The apprentices were Philip Kyle, Russell Wilcox, Brett Foster, Paul Maxted and Patrick Dyson. So the missing "Philip" may well be Kyle. He never played for the first team.

Paul Maxted- another who never played for the first team- was a goalie. I wonder if he is any relation to our present custodian?

Update: When I say that Maxted and Kyle never appeared for the first team, they did play in a County Cup tie on 17th May 1982. It is not one they'd want to remember though, as Rovers lost 1-9 to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

The line up was: Maxted, Lally, Cooper, Bremner, Kyle, Pugh, Harle, Dawson, Douglas, Bentley, Bennett. Sub: Dyson. Richard Dawson scored Rovers' only goal.

[RedRover45]

Blimey, I remember that match John. I was at Hillsborough that night.

[Drover]

Red Baron,that is excellent,brilliant research,thank you very much.I have to go out at the minute but I will have a read and study of all that later today.Again Cheers.