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FOOTBALL IN SOUTH DEVON


Watcombe are a well-rounded team, strong in every department. Their defence is well-organized, they have pace on the wings, every player seems comfortable with the ball and they always look likely to score goals. Can lightning strike twice? With


Buckland and Upton Athletic still in the cup, Watcombe will have to pull out some more top drawer performances before May. What is becoming clear though is that the Wanderers are more than just a fl ash in the pan.


Watcombe midfi elder Ryan Finch rounding another defender


A GAME OF TWO HALVES...


Football is about moments; decisions made in the heat of battle that can make or break a game, a season... a career. When event organisers Quay Occasions brought Tottenham and England legends Jimmy Greaves and Paul Gascoigne to the Riviera Centre last December, it gave us fans a privileged chance to relive some of those iconic moments.


F


who having won all of their group games beat Paignton ‘B’ 3-1 in the playoff fi nal. Paignton ‘A’ were dominant in the girls half beating Paignton ‘B’ in the playoff having not conceded a goal in all of their 6 games. Churston did very well to gain the fi nal place beating a very industrious Teign side 2-1 in the playoffs. With a growth in South Devon of


40 teams and 300 players from last year, tournament organiser Rob Payne commented on the success of the competition. “It’s great to see so many new players new to Futsal taking part and playing the fast paced and skilful format of how it’s traditionally played”. Not only will Paignton Community and Sports College be hosting the County Finals but also the South West Regional’s with schools from the 6 counties playing for places in the national competition. For more information on Futsal contact Rob Payne on 01803 403634 or rob. payne@paigntoncommunitycollege.com


or email: sales@SportSouthDevon.co.uk


irst Jimmy Greaves, the greatest goalscorer in top fl ight history, gave us an


Great performance from Greavsie!


insight into his special moments: the apprehension as he faced the formidable Bolton defence or the onrushing Tommy Smith, the relief at the welcome sight of Bill Nicholson at the San Siro. Then Paul Gascoigne brought us


yet more moments: the decision to lob the ball over Colin Hendry to score one of the best goals ever witnessed at Wembley, the ‘Schoolboy’s Own’ free- kick against Arsenal, and of course the moment no England fan will ever forget: the tears at Italia ’90. Then there were those unsettling


moments; the one’s where we got too close a glimpse into the fragility that always lurked beneath Gazza’s clown- like mask. Who could forget the 1991 FA Cup, Gazza taking to the fi eld like a berserker, mounting wild challenges before sustaining the knee injury that would end his top fl ight career. The event as a whole was


professionally run and well-organised, a credit to the organiser Frank Baker of Quay Occasions, with both celebrities providing plenty of moments and memories to refl ect on, but it often seemed that only one man really had


his heart in it. Greavsie started his football career at a time when the best players were paid £20 a week and transfer fees were yet to hit six fi gures. His humility in adapting to the after-dinner circuit was admirable. In contrast, Gascoigne cut a desperate fi gure at times, his attempted manipulation over press exposure painfully clumsy. Comparing the attitude and


bearing of the two legends it was hard to avoid drawing uncomfortable conclusions about the direction football has taken and how the sport treats its stars. It is then that you realise that football is not just about moments, it is also about generations… and the difference between the two was quite stark.


www.SportSouthDevon.co.uk | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2012 | South Devon 9


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South Devon


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