A Golden Age for Torquay United

The Torbay Weekly had the privilege of talking to Paul Bastard this week, a man who has followed Torquay United to every corner of the country and maintained his passionate devotion to the Gulls for over 60 years.

Paul lived locally through his childhood but now commutes to Plainmoor and away games from his base in Manchester.

His earliest United memories take us back to a golden era, when Don Mills controlled the engine room, Ernie Pym dazzled with his skill and homegrown talent was central to the club ethos.

“Some of my first memories were watching Don Mills and his great midfield play,” said Paul. “That was very early on, when I was a tacker, and then my first favourite player was Ernie Pym.

“Those were the early days under Eric Webber and we’d see the players run past our house and then down the hill to Oddicombe and Babbacombe. That was how they used to train and we’d see them all the time.

“My infant school at Homelands was very close to the ground and we would see the players all the time. The Northcotts, Tommy and George, were local and Torquay United was a community thing oi those days.

“The most famous game for the youth of my generation was the 3-3 draw with Tottenham in 1965. It was the most wonderful occasion. The official attendance was bang on 20,000, so it was obviously going to be more than that.

“We watched Robin Stubbs score in front of our noses because the barriers had collapsed and we were sat almost beside the goal. They were happy and rather innocent days.

“When you’re young, you want to win but perhaps not with the nastiness you see now. There is a lot more booing now and a lot more showing of overt disappointment.”