Rovers goalkeeper scoring

[1879Rovers]

I am sure this is a question that can be answered by Dutch Uncle or some of the other well informed on the site.

My lad asked me tonight had a keeper ever scored for Doncaster? I couldn't think of anyone that had done it.

It got me thinking. Have we ever had a goalie score and have we ever conceded a goal to a goalkeeper?

[glosterred]

Kasper Schmeichels did, admittedly it was in his own goal.

COYR

[The Red Baron]

That great character Jack Eggett once scored for us in our pre-Football League days. I can't think of any other goalkeepers who have scored for us.

A player called Pat Gillespie scored on his debut in 1947-48. He played at centre forward in his only appearance of the season. In 1948-49 he played seven League games in goal. I suspect his debut came about when he was a travelling reserve and was pressed into service as a forward. However he wasn't playing in goal when he scored.

[Bentley Bullet]

Former Rovers keeper Stuart Nelson scored a perfectly good goal for Brentford against us at Belle Vue about 8 years ago, but the ref disallowed it for reasons unbeknown to everyone in the stadium.

[Dutch Uncle]

Fred Potter, a regular keeper in for us the early 1960's (141 appearances), was also a reasonable outfield player, and certainly played one of those 141 games at centre-forward for us at Tranmere in the 1964-5 season, I think during an injury crisis and when he wasn't first choice keeper. He didn't score but I think he did score in a reserve game - but again of course not while he was playing as keeper.

[1879Rovers]

Thanks for that.

[idler]

Fred Potter, a regular keeper in for us the early 1960's (141 appearances), was also a reasonable outfield player, and certainly played one of those 141 games at centre-forward for us at Tranmere in the 1964-5 season, I think during an injury crisis and when he wasn't first choice keeper. He didn't score but I think he did score in a reserve game - but again of course not while he was playing as keeper.

I think that he started as a centre forward in his younger days and still fancied himself as a decent outfield player in his later days.

[Donnywolf]

Former Rovers keeper Stuart Nelson scored a perfectly good goal for Brentford against us at Belle Vue about 8 years ago, but the ref disallowed it for reasons unbeknown to everyone in the stadium.

I was going to say Stuart Nelson ! The Ref got us out of jail there because as you say he gave a foul on Andy Warrington but it did not look like one to me and my first reaction was GOAL

I had been in Ground ages and Nelson was actually practising long kicks from his hands and regularly dropped his Kicks first bounce just outside the 18 Yard box at the Rosso end. I then think his first kick in the first half and very early in the game went as long as those and bounced once and over Andy W

[Jimmydee]

I'm sure that Scunny's keeper scored against us at the old show ground, late 70' or early 80s. He kicked it out of his hands from his penalty box, it bounced before our keeper and then into the net. I think his name was Keenan.

[Drover]

I know it's probably not what you was thinking of,but does anyone statified know,have any keepers scored for us in Penalty shoot outs?Maybe Andy Warrington or Sulli?

[1879Rovers]

I know it's probably not what you was thinking of,but does anyone statified know,have any keepers scored for us in Penalty shoot outs?Maybe Andy Warrington or Sulli?

I did wonder that as well.

[Sammy Chung was King]

I remember David Beckham scoring direct from a corner against us, but not a keeper scoring for or against us.

[Jimmydee]

I'm sure that Scunny's keeper scored against us at the old show ground, late 70' or early 80s. He kicked it out of his hands from his penalty box, it bounced before our keeper and then into the net. I think his name was Keenan.


I have checked for that goal at Scunny, I was wrong, the keepers name was Joe Neenan, but there is no record of him scoring against us.
I must have dreamt it,   "Dead vivid it was"
Apologies B.B

[Al4475]

Did Iain Turner score (for Preston maybe) against us after he'd been on loan with us?

Or maybe he just very nearly did.

Or maybe I have no feckin idea!

LOL 

[Bentley Bullet]

Al, I've heard that when it comes to goalkeeping you've no feckin idea!




 

[Al4475]

Hmmmm!

Ha!

[IDM]

I remember David Beckham scoring direct from a corner against us, but not a keeper scoring for or against us.

When I was 11 an opponent scored directly from a corner against our primary school team.  The ref (their teacher) said, "don't worry, he won't do that again"

Sure enough, a few moments later another corner is heading straight for the top corner - these were full size goals too.  Up I stretch and tip the ball over the bar with my finger tips.  Only problem was, I wasn't the goalie.  Thankfully those days you didn't get sent off for that.  Our coach told me I had done well as there was always a chance the penalty might be missed or saved.  It wasn't, we lost 4-2.

[Dutch Uncle]

I know it's probably not what you was thinking of,but does anyone statified know,have any keepers scored for us in Penalty shoot outs?Maybe Andy Warrington or Sulli?

I did wonder that as well.

Rovers have had 13 penalty shootouts, and as far as I can tell no Goalkeeper has even taken a penalty for us in the last 11 of those that I have data for.

I have no data for our first penalty shootout against Lincoln in the League Cup in 1976-77 (we won the shootout 3-2), and for our second shootout (which we lost 2-4 in 1990-1 against Scunthorpe in the AMC) the penalties scored were by Lee Turnbull and Brendan Ormsby (both outfield players), but I have no data on those who missed.

Given that these were in the early days of penalty shootouts, and I don' t think either went beyond the initial 2 sets of 5 penalties, I would be surprised if any goalie has actually taken a penalty for us, let alone scored one.

[The Red Baron]

Fred Potter, a regular keeper in for us the early 1960's (141 appearances), was also a reasonable outfield player, and certainly played one of those 141 games at centre-forward for us at Tranmere in the 1964-5 season, I think during an injury crisis and when he wasn't first choice keeper. He didn't score but I think he did score in a reserve game - but again of course not while he was playing as keeper.

I'll need to check but I have an idea that Fred Potter scored in a County Cup game, although he was playing outfield. He certainly played as a striker in two games in 1964-5, a FA Cup tie with Scarborough and a League game at Tranmere. He was also an unused sub on at least one occasion in 1965-66. The ultimate utility player, I suppose!

Tonny Nielsen and Barry Richardson both had cameo appearances as substitute strikers in reserve games, but neither scored.

[BobG]

Dutch. I was at the City Ground that night we knocked Lincoln out on penalties.  It was the first penalty shoot out ever held in this country. Denis Peacock was in goal for us. He definitely didn't take a pen.

BobG

[Dutch Uncle]

Dutch. I was at the City Ground that night we knocked Lincoln out on penalties.  It was the first penalty shoot out ever held in this country. Denis Peacock was in goal for us. He definitely didn't take a pen.

BobG

Thanks Bob - that's what I expected

With regards to your statement in bold above, I agree but it needs a bit of clarification. IMHO it was the first penalty shootout in a live national competitive match. So we are discounting the Watney pre-season friendly Cup of 1970 (not national and not totally competitive either - Manchester United beat Hull in a shootout), the FA Cup Third Place playoff of 1971-72 (in my opinion not 'live' - Birmingham beat Stoke in a shootout) and the 1974 Community Shield Final (in my opinion also not totally competitive - Liverpool beat Leeds in a shootout).     

[Donnywolf]

We can dredge up all this info to credit us with being in the record books and yet still cant definitively claim another in the First Yellow Card awarded in the FL to Doncaster Rovers player at Stockport away on a Friday night

I have tried everything to find out. IMO it was Dave or possibly Steve Wignall and anyone that was there should remember the Ref breaking his neck to flourish his Yellow Card . I thought for tears that ours was the only game that night BUT I found only a year or so back going down yet another Cul de Sac that there was another game that night involving Colchester I think so they may have had someone booked / Carded before we did

[Standanista]

Early '80s, we played a friendly in the South West (I think) against a non-league side, as I remember.  Willie Boyd played as an outfield player and I think he scored in that.  Trying to remember who it was against.

[Dutch Uncle]

We can dredge up all this info to credit us with being in the record books and yet still cant definitively claim another in the First Yellow Card awarded in the FL to Doncaster Rovers player at Stockport away on a Friday night

I have tried everything to find out. IMO it was Dave or possibly Steve Wignall and anyone that was there should remember the Ref breaking his neck to flourish his Yellow Card . I thought for tears that ours was the only game that night BUT I found only a year or so back going down yet another Cul de Sac that there was another game that night involving Colchester I think so they may have had someone booked / Carded before we did

Hi DW

I can' t find a Rovers season around the right time with the opening match an away match at Stockport, but in 1976-77 our first match was at Southport on 21 August 1976, and both Wignalls played in that match. This article suggests that 1976 was when Red & Yellow cards were first introduced:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23634720

However 21 August 1976 was a Saturday, so if that was the case then there were many other matches as candidates for the first yellow card. Are you sure it was a Friday match?

Cheers

Brian

[Donnywolf]

Yes it was a Friday and I am sure the Cards were introduced during the Season sometime in October maybe

I will look for my last attempts on the subject and put the link here

Cheers JT

Dave Wagstaffe a Wolfie of course got the first Red Card on Saturday the 2nd of October 1976 and the Museum of Football and the FA confirmed this but when pressed the MOF said they could not confirm the Yellow Card and directed me to the FA Archivists who never replied

My money is on Dave Wignall even though I think he came on a Sub after about 20 minutes and here is one of the Threads from before

  http://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=226700.msg226700#msg226700

[The Red Baron]

Our game at Stockport was on 1st October 1976. You are right that the cards were introduced during the course of the season. I can't answer your particular query though.

If it was Dave Wignall, are you sure he wasn't booked for impersonating a footballer? That guy was bad! He makes Curtis Main look like Messi!

PS. We lost 1-2 that night. Our line up was Peacock, Brookes, Robinson, Laidlaw, S. Wignall, Taylor, Miller, Murray, O'Callaghan, Kitchen, Woodcock. Dave Wignall replaced Alan Murray. Peter Kitchen scored our goal and I seem to recall Stan Anderson went off his long run about the referee.

PPS. When you look at that team you can see why Anderson's teams were great to watch but never won anything. Bags of attacking talent but a real glass jaw of a defence. And Stan had the same delusions about Dave Wignall's talents that PD had about Razzak!

[BobG]

Taylor at centre half.... That says more than enough. He scored a few, but he cost a lot more.

BobG

[The Red Baron]

Taylor at centre half.... That says more than enough. He scored a few, but he cost a lot more.

BobG

Like Dave Wignall, he was another one of Stan's blind spots, Bob. After we had the League Cup run in 1975-76 Stan decided he needed to strengthen the defence, which was a reasonable idea. Unfortunately his idea of "strengthening" was to sign Brian Taylor and Peter Creamer from his old club, Middlesbrough. Both were utterly bobbins but at least he soon got shot of Creamer. The sad thing was he had two decent CBs at the club, Steve Uzelac and Steve Wignall, but he fell out with both of them. Wignall absolutely hated him. A shame really, because I met Stan and he was a sound bloke. He just had no idea about defenders.

[BobG]

I'd never heard that about Stan and Steve Wignall. Shame. Steve Uzelac and Wiggy would have been a reasonable pairing. Taylor had a knack of scoring near post headers from corners, but beyond that, he was hopeless. I used to know Stan's daughter for a while. She was the year below me at Warwick. Quite a pleasant lass. Do you remember that Rovers match Stan didn't attend a bit later as she was getting married?

Bob

[The Red Baron]

It's in Wignall's autobiography. Taylor was very good in the opposition box, in fact I'd put him on a par with Rob Jones as a CB who was an attacking threat. Trouble was, he was a very poor defender. Maybe he should have been a Centre Forward!

I don't remember Stan missing a game, but he lived near The Abbey (now no longer there) in Dunscroft and I did bump into him once when I was down that way. As far as I know he still lives in the Donny area. I've got his autobiography, but in common with Steve Wignall's, it's not a great read!