Andy Carroll could join the international roll-call of players to grace Plainmoor

Back-from-suspension Andy Carroll, the highest-profile signing of the National League South summer, is poised to lead Dagenham & Redbridge’s attack against Torquay United on Saturday.

But he’s far from the first former England international to ply his trade at Plainmoor.

Carroll, 36, the 6ft 4in tall ex-Newcastle United, Liverpool, West Ham United, Reading and WBA centre-forward, has scored 108 goals in a 462-game career.

They include nine caps and two goals for England.

Back from a couple of seasons in France, Carroll signed a three-year contract, and became a minority shareholder at Dagenham, as new Qatari owners invested heavily in the summer.

He’s expected to run out at Plainmoor keen to put an injury and card-hit start to the campaign behind him.

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Are there any fans around who remember Tommy Lawton, one of England’s greatest ever centre-forwards, leading the Notts County attack against Torquay back in 1949-50?

Both Notts and United were known as the black-and-white Magpies in those days, and draws at Plainmoor (0-0) and Meadow Lane (1-1) helped County to win the old Third Division South title, with Torquay in fifth place.

It took a Lawton equaliser in the second half to deny United victory in front of 43,456 at Meadow Lane!

More recently, four ex-England stars who came to Torquay towards the end of their careers were centre-half Ken Brown from West Ham (1967-69), Tony ‘Bomber’ Brown of West Bromwich Albion (1981-83), Tony Currie of Sheffield United/Leeds United (1984-85) and Chris Waddle (Newcastle, Sheffield Wed, Spurs) in 1998-99.

Several more players went on to win England caps after launching their careers at Plainmoor.

They began with two 1930s starlets, right winger Ralph Birkett (Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Newcastle), who joined Torquay from Dartmouth United, and the versatile Don Welsh (Charlton, Liverpool).

Lee Sharpe cut his teeth here (1986-88) before going on to fame at Manchester United and Leeds, and a young Keith Curle started out as a right winger at Plainmoor (1983-84) before becoming one of England’s quickest defenders with his hometown Bristol City, Reading, Wimbledon, Manchester City and Wolves.

And let’s not pass over defender Steve Bould, who played eleven games on loan here from Stoke City in 1982-83.

Bould went on to a distinguished career with Arsenal and England (2 caps), and he’s now first-team coach at Queens Park Rangers.

Of course, many more Plainmoor favourites have represented other countries.

Who can forget Bruce Rioch, Eddie Kelly and Matt Elliott (Scotland), Paul Trollope and Neville Southall (Wales), current Northern Ireland striker Jamie Reid, Jimmy Dunne (Eire), Darren Moore and Paul Hall (Jamaica) and Rodney Jack (St Vincent & The Grenadines)?

And that’s to name just a few!