Paul Malcolm Benefit Game

[tyke1962]

Which took place on May 7th 1990 at Belle Vue .

A Doncaster Rovers select eleven hosted Barnsley for both our former goalkeeper Paul Malcolm who had to retire through injury aged 25 .

Did any Rovers fans on here attend that night and who was in the Doncaster Rovers select team please ?

[idler]

I never went went but Paul Gascougne and I think  Alick Jeffrey also turned out for Rovers if I remember right.

[Donny Exile in York]

I did.. there was a programme image of the teams floating around on fb not long ago... Ranking, Brevet, Bremner in Rovers team.. most notable thing was Gazza playing a week or so before flying off to Italia 90.. would be unthinkable these days, and he trapped a goalkick punt miles up in the air with his arse by sitting on it.. was a superb trick at the time..

[Donny Exile in York]

Think the likes of David Harle, Duggie, Ashurst Raffell, Gaughan, Turnbull all.played for Rovers.. Glynn and Ian Snodin.might have played for the opposition

[donnievic]

I went sure Gazza played a half for each side if I remember correctly

[turnbull for england]

Didn't they bring Alick out on a sackbarrow?

[turnbull for england]

Barnsley put a full strength side out and gazza ended up apologising to goalie ( Irish international?) for embarrassing him. Flicked it over his head to score and asked him where he wanted penalty to go, and scoring it in that spot anyway

[craigdrfc]

Was at the game, and remember it fairly well. Gazza was outstanding and showed off all the tricks. Also remember Bremner casually spraying a few glorious cross-field passes around.

[Branton Rover]

It was simply the most outrageous example of footballing genius I ever have witnessed - Gazza was just sublime, he had skills and tricks from another planet.

I still to this day remember Johnny Muir wheeling out Alick to take a penalty. Hard to believe less than a month later Gazza was to appear in a World Cup semi final

[Muttley]

I was there, as others have said the stand-out memory for me was Gazza trapping the ball with his arse.

[PDX_Rover]

Was a great night. I’ve got a photo of my sitting with Gazza having a pint after the game in the social club/golf club. He’s six months or so older than me.

[johnny rovers]

Remember it well.... Was the first time I sat in the seats in the main stand at belle Vue

[BillyStubbsTears]

Alick just came out for the penalty shoot out with Gazza at half time.

I agree with Branton. Gascoigne was like something from another world. I'd heard about him, but seeing him perform like that in the flesh.

The sitting down on the 50 yard cross field ball was one thing. But there was another moment of skill that I struggle to believe all these years later.

Steve Agnew played for the Barnsley XI. Gazza ran him ragged. Late in the game, Gazza ran onto a through ball and Agnew chased him hard, inches from his ankles. Agnew had the look of a man who was f**ked off with being made to look a fool even in a friendly.

Keeper rushed towards the edge of the box. Agnew was shaping up to bring Gazza down. But before either of them could challenge him, Gazza flicked the ball up a foot off the floor, at full pelt mind, bent his leg at the knee and dinked the ball with his heel, over the keeper and into the net.

Simply sublime talent.

Within the month he was Cruyff-turning Koemann in Cagliari.

[Draytonian III]

Gazza was a mate of Paul Malcolm, I think they had played in the same youth team together at Newcastle

[nightporter]

Not the best quality. 

[Drover]

Looking at nightporter's photo for memory jogging,in no particular order,some of the players,Billy Bremner,Mark Rankine,Colin Douglas,Kevin Noteman,John Muir,John Stiles,Les Robinson,Mark Samways,Jack Ashurst,Grant Morrow,Rufus Brevett(although I dont think he is on that photo),was Vince Brockie,Brendan Ormsby,Shane Reddish,Eddie Gormley or Jim Dobbin there?although the later was with Barnsley I think at the time.

[Nudga]

It was Brenner who sent the cross field pass to gazza to sit on in front of the popside.

If memory serves me well, didn't gazza score with a Rabona into the top corner of the Rosso End goal?

[Herbert Anchovy]

Nev Southall was due to play too but was injured. He did a walk round of the pitch though signing autographs.

As for Gazza, I remember him running down the left wing in front of the pop side doing kick ups. The Barnsley players were literally bouncing off of him, such was his strength! He got to the edge of the penalty area, chipped the ball and volleyed it against the cross bar! His skills were like nothing that I’ve seen before or since.

[The Beast]

I can remember Gazza taking an outrageous free kick, never seen such bend on a ball!
Got the programme somewhere with Gazza's autograph on.

[BillyStubbsTears]

It was Brenner who sent the cross field pass to gazza to sit on in front of the popside.

If memory serves me well, didn't gazza score with a Rabona into the top corner of the Rosso End goal?

Maybe thats what it was Nudga. I was at the town end of the Pop Side so maybe didn't get the clearest view. Whatever it was, he did it at full pelt with Agnew snarling at his ankles.

[Jimmydee]

Gaza’s car had broken down near the racecourse roundabout and he left it unattended and threw his bag over his shoulder and walked with me and my uncle to the ground.

[Spud]

Gaza’s car had broken down near the racecourse roundabout and he left it unattended and threw his bag over his shoulder and walked with me and my uncle to the ground.

How many bellies do you have Jimmy? Just out of interest.

[roversdude]

Such talent, so sad the way his career and life spiralled

[Sammy Chung was King]

For a time he was one of the best around, I can’t say the best because their were quite a few top players around at the time. Some of those couldn’t do with a ball what he could. Injuries , off field problems, just his plain inability to deal with the game side of the game, led to his “refuelling problem that Graham Taylor pointed out. We were blessed to see him but he could have done so much more. A fantastic talent, the best I’ve seen in an England shirt.

[Lesonthewest]

It was simply the most outrageous example of footballing genius I ever have witnessed - Gazza was just sublime, he had skills and tricks from another planet.

I still to this day remember Johnny Muir wheeling out Alick to take a penalty. Hard to believe less than a month later Gazza was to appear in a World Cup semi final

It was amazing, Gazza was different class.

[Mark Lyall]

Great game for a testimonial,  Gazza was out of this world , even Billy Bremner played,  gazza stuck the ball up his shirt and took the piss out of Billy's waist line.
Great memories

[Armthorpe mickler]

I was there that night.Remember Alick taking penalties at half time . He could still take a good penalty even then.Remember Gazza's tricks. He was in good nick that night.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I was there that night.Remember Alick taking penalties at half time . He could still take a good penalty even then.Remember Gazza's tricks. He was in good nick that night.

If I recall correctly, Alick missed most if not all of his penalties. Course, he must have been in his fifties and well overweight.

[Lesonthewest]

It was spellbinding watching the things Gazza did that night, amazing stuff & a privilege to witness. Remember him also kicking the ball in the air & on coming down killed it instantly with top of his boot, didn't he also red the ref. An absolute genius with a football.

[Sammy Chung was King]

What happened to Paul Malcolm after the injury? I’m sure I was at the game before the one he got injured in.
Gazza had something in him where the country took to him, you don’t see that now. Maybe it was his character, or just that we are disconnected from the top players now?

The pitch we had at Belle vue has never been reproduced at our present ground. It wasn’t perfect but it was as near as you could get.
When you think of the history soaked into that turf, and the sights and sounds that ground took in. Wouldn’t it be great to have it all on a dvd to watch and rewind?