Sergei Baltacha’s debut 10:24 - Jan 4 with 3301 views | ITFC_nostalgia | Hi all. Does anyone know who played in defence for Sergei’s debut v Stoke? Here’s the team and given I know Sergei played right midfield in a 4-4-2 we must have played a makeshift central defender or right back (with Yallop playing central) which makes it even more crazy he played there. This was pre Warky being a defender I think but may be it was him? Fearon; Yallop Linighan Harbey; Baltacha Zondervan Hill Wark Redford; Dozzell Kiwomya. Sub: D’Avray | | | | |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 10:35 - Jan 4 with 2313 views | gainsboroughblue | I think it would have been Warky in central defence. Makes sense from that line up. Well, not sense, but you know what I mean. | |
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(No subject) (n/t) on 10:50 - Jan 4 with 2274 views | Trequartista | Yallop I think with Zondervan right back. John Duncan would often play Warky up front rather than in defence. [Post edited 4 Jan 2021 10:53]
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 10:51 - Jan 4 with 2278 views | PJH | Yallop was certainly at RB playing behind Sergei because SB kept looking at Frank Yallop for instructions on where to stand when we did not have the ball. I think Warky was in central defence. | | | |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:11 - Jan 4 with 2210 views | azuremerlangus |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 10:51 - Jan 4 by PJH | Yallop was certainly at RB playing behind Sergei because SB kept looking at Frank Yallop for instructions on where to stand when we did not have the ball. I think Warky was in central defence. |
How an earth do you remember that much detail? I can remember him scoring in that match but that is about it. [Post edited 4 Jan 2021 11:13]
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:19 - Jan 4 with 2183 views | PJH |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:11 - Jan 4 by azuremerlangus | How an earth do you remember that much detail? I can remember him scoring in that match but that is about it. [Post edited 4 Jan 2021 11:13]
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I just do remember Sergei keep looking to Frank and Frank beckoning him to move backwards until he put his hand up to stop. I just remember thinking it strange that a player that had appeared in the 1982 World Cup should need on field coaching on his positional sense. That is not having a go at Sergei, just the ridiculous situation of having a top class sweeper being asked to play wide right midfield. | | | |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:25 - Jan 4 with 2167 views | Bluespeed225 | Glue pot pitch, Mick Mills managing Stoke? I remember saying to my mate, 'he's in there', then mini scenes among a sparce crowd, though being in The North always had a warmth! | | | |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:50 - Jan 4 with 2126 views | The_Last_Baron |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:25 - Jan 4 by Bluespeed225 | Glue pot pitch, Mick Mills managing Stoke? I remember saying to my mate, 'he's in there', then mini scenes among a sparce crowd, though being in The North always had a warmth! |
I think there were over 18,000 there for thew game. Sergei put 2,000 extra on the gate. 0-0 at half-time before Sergei scored early in the second half at the Churchman's end. Dave Bamber scored a header for Stoke at 3-0. You're right about the pitch and it was a defence of Yallop, Linighan, Wark and Harbey. David Hill played in midfield. I have the full match on VHS but haven't watched it since 1989. Very nice man Sergei, who was part of the Soviet Union squad which reached the final of the 1988 European Championship a few months before joining us. The best side at the tournament in my opinion. Always one of life's great mysteries why you'd sign a world class sweeper and play him on the right wing. Sergei's instructions when he arrived was to 'run, run, run'. Madness. [Post edited 4 Jan 2021 11:50]
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:54 - Jan 4 with 2114 views | brazil1982 | I have a copy of the Green Un from that match, a quick read doesn't give much away as to the formation of the team, does mention Wark with a couple of defensive actions but that is all. | | | | Login to get fewer ads
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 12:14 - Jan 4 with 2086 views | Radlett_blue |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:50 - Jan 4 by The_Last_Baron | I think there were over 18,000 there for thew game. Sergei put 2,000 extra on the gate. 0-0 at half-time before Sergei scored early in the second half at the Churchman's end. Dave Bamber scored a header for Stoke at 3-0. You're right about the pitch and it was a defence of Yallop, Linighan, Wark and Harbey. David Hill played in midfield. I have the full match on VHS but haven't watched it since 1989. Very nice man Sergei, who was part of the Soviet Union squad which reached the final of the 1988 European Championship a few months before joining us. The best side at the tournament in my opinion. Always one of life's great mysteries why you'd sign a world class sweeper and play him on the right wing. Sergei's instructions when he arrived was to 'run, run, run'. Madness. [Post edited 4 Jan 2021 11:50]
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Crowd was 14,692 which might not sound much but we'd recently been getting under 10,000 for run of the mill games. I remember Baltacha looking a bit like a fish out of water as a right midfield player, though he did win a few headers. He stayed in midfield for the next couple of games, both of which Town lost. | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 12:33 - Jan 4 with 2046 views | gainsboroughblue |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 12:14 - Jan 4 by Radlett_blue | Crowd was 14,692 which might not sound much but we'd recently been getting under 10,000 for run of the mill games. I remember Baltacha looking a bit like a fish out of water as a right midfield player, though he did win a few headers. He stayed in midfield for the next couple of games, both of which Town lost. |
I do remember an attendance of 13,000 plus being described as a 'bumper crowd' by Dave Allard in the Evening Star. | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 12:40 - Jan 4 with 2028 views | Trequartista |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 10:51 - Jan 4 by PJH | Yallop was certainly at RB playing behind Sergei because SB kept looking at Frank Yallop for instructions on where to stand when we did not have the ball. I think Warky was in central defence. |
If you can remember that I would suspect you are more likely to be correct than my guess. Yallop certainly played centre back in that season as there are matches where Wark isn’t in the side where Yallop and Linighan are the only centre back possibilities | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 13:03 - Jan 4 with 1987 views | PJH |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 12:40 - Jan 4 by Trequartista | If you can remember that I would suspect you are more likely to be correct than my guess. Yallop certainly played centre back in that season as there are matches where Wark isn’t in the side where Yallop and Linighan are the only centre back possibilities |
Yes Yallop did play centre back on occasions as you say but my (now 70 year old) memory tells me that he was certainly at RB that day. As near as I get to def info! | | | |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:43 - Jan 4 with 1880 views | stonojnr | I dont remember Wark playing as a defender during that second spell, certainly not a first choice defender, that only seemed to be when he'd lost all his pace but could use his brain to work out how to be in the right position still, maybe he was more a defensive midfielder, but it was John Duncan random role picks & formations so he could have been playing anywhere on the pitch quite frankly. | | | |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:49 - Jan 4 with 1872 views | bluelagos | Was HIll not a fullback? Which would be simple 442 of: Fearon Hill - Yallop - Linighan - Harbey Baltacha - Wark/Redford - Dozzell - Zondervan Redford/Wark - Kiwomya. | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:59 - Jan 4 with 1858 views | Radlett_blue |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:43 - Jan 4 by stonojnr | I dont remember Wark playing as a defender during that second spell, certainly not a first choice defender, that only seemed to be when he'd lost all his pace but could use his brain to work out how to be in the right position still, maybe he was more a defensive midfielder, but it was John Duncan random role picks & formations so he could have been playing anywhere on the pitch quite frankly. |
Wark was replaced by Mich D'Avray during the Stoke game, but D'Avray had played a few times as a not very good emergency centre back. David Hill (another of Duncan's Paul Hurst-type lower league signings) was primarily used as a midfield player, but he could also play left back. | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 15:07 - Jan 4 with 1849 views | gainsboroughblue |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:49 - Jan 4 by bluelagos | Was HIll not a fullback? Which would be simple 442 of: Fearon Hill - Yallop - Linighan - Harbey Baltacha - Wark/Redford - Dozzell - Zondervan Redford/Wark - Kiwomya. |
Hill never played right-back. Had a right foot for literally standing on. Harbey was occasionally pushed into midfield but with Redford on the left, I suspect Hill was in the middle with Zondervan and Sergei inexplicably on the right. Dozzell up front with Kiwomya. As much as I remember Warky being in the back four for his third spell, I suspect he was alongside Linighan that day. Fearon Yallop Wark Linighan Harbey Baltacha Zondervan Hill Redford Dozzell Kiwomya | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 15:45 - Jan 4 with 1802 views | Bluespeed225 |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:59 - Jan 4 by Radlett_blue | Wark was replaced by Mich D'Avray during the Stoke game, but D'Avray had played a few times as a not very good emergency centre back. David Hill (another of Duncan's Paul Hurst-type lower league signings) was primarily used as a midfield player, but he could also play left back. |
Forgot D'Avray was even still around then! Married a Churchmans ( the factory, don't know where she stood/sat) girl. Was that his last season? | | | |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 15:48 - Jan 4 with 1794 views | MaySixth |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:50 - Jan 4 by The_Last_Baron | I think there were over 18,000 there for thew game. Sergei put 2,000 extra on the gate. 0-0 at half-time before Sergei scored early in the second half at the Churchman's end. Dave Bamber scored a header for Stoke at 3-0. You're right about the pitch and it was a defence of Yallop, Linighan, Wark and Harbey. David Hill played in midfield. I have the full match on VHS but haven't watched it since 1989. Very nice man Sergei, who was part of the Soviet Union squad which reached the final of the 1988 European Championship a few months before joining us. The best side at the tournament in my opinion. Always one of life's great mysteries why you'd sign a world class sweeper and play him on the right wing. Sergei's instructions when he arrived was to 'run, run, run'. Madness. [Post edited 4 Jan 2021 11:50]
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I was there with a mate - 15 years old. Got the train up from London. Stood in the Pioneer terrace. | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 15:50 - Jan 4 with 1788 views | gainsboroughblue |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 15:45 - Jan 4 by Bluespeed225 | Forgot D'Avray was even still around then! Married a Churchmans ( the factory, don't know where she stood/sat) girl. Was that his last season? |
His last season was 89-90 but didn't play many games from memory. | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 15:57 - Jan 4 with 1780 views | PJH |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 15:50 - Jan 4 by gainsboroughblue | His last season was 89-90 but didn't play many games from memory. |
If he was playing from memory he should not have been playing at all. He started 8 plus 4 subs in 1989/90. | | | |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 17:42 - Jan 4 with 1709 views | Coastalblue |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:49 - Jan 4 by bluelagos | Was HIll not a fullback? Which would be simple 442 of: Fearon Hill - Yallop - Linighan - Harbey Baltacha - Wark/Redford - Dozzell - Zondervan Redford/Wark - Kiwomya. |
I regularly used to question if Hill was a footballer, let alone worrying about what position he could play. He was dreadful. | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 20:22 - Jan 4 with 1593 views | Melford | I remember the big inflatable vodka bottle being chucked about on his debut. | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 02:01 - Jan 5 with 1490 views | The_Last_Baron |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:59 - Jan 4 by Radlett_blue | Wark was replaced by Mich D'Avray during the Stoke game, but D'Avray had played a few times as a not very good emergency centre back. David Hill (another of Duncan's Paul Hurst-type lower league signings) was primarily used as a midfield player, but he could also play left back. |
Warky played quite a few games as a centre forward during his second spell, scored some goals from corners from near post flick ons with Wark heading home or volleying in at the far post. A simple trick which Division Two defences didn't seem able to prevent a lot of the time. He also played alongside Linighan a lot, including the infamous 5-0 hammering at Port Vale on New Year's Day when they were hungover. He tells the story in his book. | |
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Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 02:38 - Jan 5 with 1473 views | stiff_talking |
Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 02:01 - Jan 5 by The_Last_Baron | Warky played quite a few games as a centre forward during his second spell, scored some goals from corners from near post flick ons with Wark heading home or volleying in at the far post. A simple trick which Division Two defences didn't seem able to prevent a lot of the time. He also played alongside Linighan a lot, including the infamous 5-0 hammering at Port Vale on New Year's Day when they were hungover. He tells the story in his book. |
I remember the excitement of Walsall away game the week prior when news broke he was joining the team. I remember waiting outside the ground for the arrival of the team bus to catch a glimpse of this Russian legend. Great days when you were a kid and expected another Classic transfer market dealing from foreign soil. It was fitting he scored on his debut and it seemed like a massive leap forward as those were dark days under John Duncan. | | | |
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