I was there to see him. Was it really that long ago?
50 years is a long time so I may have this wrong but I remember him being sick on the pitch in that game. He carried on of course. He was one of our most popular players ever, not least because when he went off on one of his runs, the whole crowd started cheering. The FA Cup games against Man U were two of his best - he terrified their centre backs.
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I was there also, and watched the vast majority of the games he played for us. Great player of his time. Different game these days though.
Bulldozer - that is a fantastic word to describe him.
Its a description , like some of the oil tankers we have playing for us now
Another good Saddler scored his first goal for the team that day - Brian Taylor. I wasnāt there, my first game was five months later, but loved watching both of them.
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Brian Taylor one of my all time fave Saddlers. Made contact with his son a few years back who told me Brian had a large suitcase full of programmes from his time in football and often told him of his happy memories from Fellows Park.
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I think Brian was one of the least marmite players weāve had. Any mention of his name has those of us who remember him dusting down the superlatives and saying how he was a favourite etc., etc. I donāt think Iāve ever heard a Walsall fan say anything bad about him.
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I lovedBrian Taylor and his purple velvet suit. If I remember wasnāt he voted Plymouthās top player of the last hundred years?
I donāt know about that, but I do know they thought highly of him at PNE, Iāve talked to a couple of their fans who remembered him fondly.
Exactly. And I remember loads of Walsall fans annoyed with Dave Mackay who seemed to want him shipped out absolute crazy.
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Yes, he was a wing back before they had been invented.
Is it that there were more characters in those days or do we just have the fondness of hindsight?
A bit of both maybe?! Brian Taylor was so versatile equally at home as full back /wing back , midfield or wherever must have been a managerās dream - except Mackay.
Is that versatility something that is missing from the modern game? As you say, Brian Taylor was almost equally good wherever he was chosen, and we also had Brian Caswell, who happily played left back or right back, and everywhere across the midfield. Colin Harrison played both full back positions as well, plus anywhere in midfield, and Iām told he played up front in his early years. Roger Fry played left or right back too.
As you say, a Managers dream - except for Darrell, his head would have exploded with all the possible permutations floating round his brain. My word, he could have tinkered with those players in his squad.
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Buckley had Shakey as a full back for a while. Mark Taylor played midfield and full-back. Charlie Ntamark played in both full back positions and occasionally in midfield.
I recall a few experimental centre forwards too Gus Meath, Mick Evans.
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Yes mate some great versatile players there. Nick Atthey another one midfield / half back was all the same to him. I remember Stan Bennett as an emergency striker a couple of times. Tony Macken full back or midfield the list is endless! Yes the ( S ) Tinkerman would have had his brain in meltdown if he had Cassa, B.Taylor or Colin H to choose from. Trevor Meath another very versatile player he is sometimes over looked too.
And nobodyās mentioned Chris Marsh yet!
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I saw Nick Atthey play as a centre back at least a couple of times, I think I might have seen Stan play up front, but it might just be that Iām thinking of him getting shoved up there for the last 10 minutes or so of a game. John Saunders played centre half, right back and at least a couple of times in midfield.
I saw Joe Mayo play at centre half, and I think, but am happy to be corrected if someone remembers better than I do, that Joe never started a game up front for us, so Albion bought him as a striker based on a few sub appearances.
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Phil Hawker- Centre back, midfield full back. I can remember Paul Jones coming on to play everywhere in the days of one sub.
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Bennett scored twice in the last few minutes against Bury once, winning the game for us but, as you say, I think it was last ditch desperation.
He definitely did start some games as a striker, Iām just not sure I saw any, I think they were before I was watching. Squads were smaller then, players filled in, the modern way seems to be to expect cover for every position, even at our level.