1988-89 | hfcoldboys

SEASON 1988-89 + LAARBRUCH

In May of 1988 the club embarked on their first trip 'into Europe'. We visited RAF Laarbruch in Germany, along with The White Horse football team. We travelled overnight on the Hull to Rotterdam ferry and after a minor incident on board, we were stopped at the port and only allowed to travel onwards through Holland, with an RAF escort. On our return we had made headlines on the front of the Echo and Martin appeared on Radio Lincolnshire with his famous husky voice 'we were victimised' !!

We played a team called Weetze in the 1st game, and drew 0-0, unfortunately two of our squad members had got up to no good on the ferries mast and served a one match ban............ well Maz did, as Noel told the disciplinary hearing that Maz had been the ringleader !!

One of the culprits has e-mailed me to give his version of events....

'' Firstly myself & Maz were victimised throughout the trip for reducing a certain Allsop to tears on his first experience of European soccer. Secondly, if my memory serves me correct, someone pulled out of the team and myself & Maz were offered an equal share of the 90 mins. Maz stood his ground (RESPECT)!! & threw his 45mins back at ya !! However, me being the young starlet of the side, knew the side could not cope without the only other talent playing in the game, so i agreed to play. I did feel by doing so, I was letting my co-accused down, but after consulting with Mr Maz, he gave me his blessing from behind his Don Johnson style shades. ''

The next game was against RAF Laarbruch, Pete missed the first half of the game due to a Schnapps hangover, this is his version ..........

'' I did not have a schnapps hangover ( everyone else was drinking beer in the German pub before getting a pizza - I wasn't) & i played the 1st half. Having played most of the season with a back injury, i came off at half time''

We were well and truly beaten by a very good side about 5-1, with young starlet Slattery scoring the clubs first goal on European soil. During this game, Ady missed an absolute sitter, after rounding the goalkeeper, six yards out and with an empty net at his mercy, he hit the side netting, much to the howls of laughter from the watching White Horse squad.

And so to the start of season 88 / 89..........

There were a few departures and some new arrivals for the start of our return to the 1st division. In came a new manger in the form of Tony Askew, a new goalkeeper, Andy Sutton ( Sutty), Pete Upcott and Ally Davies, also, joining us mid season were Alan Whitehead and Monson Utd. 'legend' Derek Oliver. Leaving us, from our promotion winning side were Andy Allsop, who joined Wild Life Res, Martin Hagan, Colin Clough, Andy Robinson and John Daley.

The first game was at home to Aubourn in which goals from Pete Upcott & Mark Edens saw us win 2-0. Up next was a County Cup clash with Pete Green's St Hughs, and in an evenly balanced first half, came the only goal of the game, a deep cross from Dave Smith on the right, found Simon Coy who bulleted a header past keeper Lawless. St Hughs pressed for an equalizer, with the best chance falling to McDaid, whose header rattled the bar, but solid defending by the Hartsholme back four kept the score at 1-0.

Back in the league the following week, we won 1-0 at Butcher and Beast, Darren Askew the scorer, this was followed by a 3-1 against Meg Amateurs in the Ron Eaglen Cup, Ady, Noel and Dave A. scoring.

For the game against Fulbeck, stirrings of unrest in the team began to surface, when Pete was dropped to the bench, but he had the last laugh as he came on and scored the equalizing goal in a 1-1 draw. Up next were Premier side Branston, in the County Cup, but we lost 3-0 at home, and following on from this we suffered our first loss in the league, away, against last years Div. Two Champions, AFC Waddington 4-0. We finished October on a high though, winning at home against Nettleham Res 3-0, two goals for Simon and one for Darren Askew.

The first game in November was in the last 32 of the Ron Eaglen Cup against Adelaide Park, but the game was called off due to fog, so battle commenced the week after, with the Allsop brothers coming up against Uncle Geoff, and Andy Mand against the club he had graced for many years. In a game played at tremendous pace throughout, a solitary strike by Graham Pemburery gave the Premier outfit a 1-0 victory.

It was the end of November before we played again, and that was at home to Butcher & Beast, who we beat 4-2, two more goals for Simon & one a piece for Ally and Pete. As for league standings, we were in 4th place, with St Hughs and old foes Manor Utd leading the pack, the latter being the next opposition at home, the game ended in a 2-2 draw, Simon & Noel the Hartsholme scorers. The last game of 1988 saw us lose 1-0 at Green Barrel. This was to be Tony's last game in charge as 'player unrest' came to a head, and he stepped down. Keith & Dave A. took over in picking the side

The new year started with an eight goal thriller at Aubourn, and a 'spy' in the bushes !!!! Ady's drought came to an end as he scored his first goals of the season, he got a brace and Simon also scored, but a Dave Smith own goal contributed to the 5-3 defeat. The next week we bounced back with a great win at home to high flying AFC Waddington, Noel, Pete and new signing Derek Oliver scored in a 3-0 win. Once again the following week, Ady found his shooting boots, and plundered a hat trick in a 3-2 win at William Farr.

The up & down season continued into February, this time we were on the receiving end again in a ten goal thriller at home to Plough Nettleham, despite leading four times in the first half, with two penalities converted by Ady, & Noel & Pete the other scorers, Plough kept equalizing and went in at the break 4-3 down, but fought back, to win the game 6-4. The goals continued to flow for the next couple of matches, a 4-2 win at Nettleham Res. two goal each for Pete & Noel again, then another fine result on the 19th February, at home to St Hughs, winning 3-2, Dave A, Pete and an Ady penalty. This result took us to 2nd in the league.

So we came to the end of the month with the Premier league now in our sights and ten games to go.........well thats how it looked on paper, but on the pitch.......... well this is where the wheels well & truly fell off !! The goals simply dried up in a run of four games during March. A 2-0 defeat at top team Manor Utd, a 0-0 draw at home to Green Barrel, another 2-0 defeat at home to Gatehouse then a 2-0 defeat at the hands of RNA, also at home.

By the beginning of April we were down to 5th in the league, so a 1-0 win at home to William Farr, Alan Whitehead the scorer, & a 4-1 home result against Fulbeck, the goals coming from Dave A and an Alan Whitehead hat trick, put us a few priceless points on the board. A midweek game, gave St Hughs revenge as we lost 1-0, then the complete opposite to the Plough Nettleham10 goal thriller we had taken part in earlier in the season saw us share the spoils at Mulsanne Park in a drab 0-0 draw.

And so to the last two games, an Ady brace, and one a piece for Noel and Simon, (who hadn't scored since before Christmas!) saw us beat Gatehouse 4-1 then we suffered a 1-0 defeat at promoted RNA, Gav Smith getting their goal. Overall, not a bad first season in the First Division, but once again our inconsistent form had proved costly, especially in the second half of the season.

The top scorer was Ady who got 11 goals, all scored since January, where as Simon netted 8, seven of them before Christmas.

Goal scorers

Ady Coy 11

Simon Coy 8

Noel Slattery 7

Pete Allsop 7

Alan Whitehead 4

Dave Allsop 3

Darren Askew 2

Mark Edens 1

Pete Upcott 1

Derek Oliver 1