| Sergei Baltacha’s debut 10:24 - Jan 4 with 3332 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 07:07 - Jan 5 with 950 views | Churchman |
| 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. |
I’d forgotten all about Dave Hill. He’d look like Beckenbauer if he played in the current garbage team. But he wasn’t the best.
My memory of Baltacha is of a chunky built bloke with big hair never played in his best position which was clearly centre half. Against Stoke he was played at full back. There was the odd Soviet flag, home made and acquired. The Stoke fans had a lot of red inflatables and got taken to the cleaners. |  | | |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:23 - Jan 5 with 882 views | Radlett_blue |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 07:07 - Jan 5 by Churchman |
I’d forgotten all about Dave Hill. He’d look like Beckenbauer if he played in the current garbage team. But he wasn’t the best.
My memory of Baltacha is of a chunky built bloke with big hair never played in his best position which was clearly centre half. Against Stoke he was played at full back. There was the odd Soviet flag, home made and acquired. The Stoke fans had a lot of red inflatables and got taken to the cleaners. |
Baltacha played wide right midfield in a 4-4-2 against Stoke. In midfield for the next few games before Duncan moved him to centre back, though Duncan wasn't going to play a sweeper system & thought the centre back's job was to win the ball & then hoof it. |  |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:27 - Jan 5 with 879 views | GeoffSentence |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 07:07 - Jan 5 by Churchman |
I’d forgotten all about Dave Hill. He’d look like Beckenbauer if he played in the current garbage team. But he wasn’t the best.
My memory of Baltacha is of a chunky built bloke with big hair never played in his best position which was clearly centre half. Against Stoke he was played at full back. There was the odd Soviet flag, home made and acquired. The Stoke fans had a lot of red inflatables and got taken to the cleaners. |
There was also some blokes flogging ipswich hats with a soviet flag on them, hastily knocked up by one of their grans on a knitting machine, from a bin bag in the North Stand. Quid a time. They probably made a decent amount that day. I got one and it is probably still knocking about round my house somewhere. |  |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:02 - Jan 5 with 851 views | The_Last_Baron |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 02:38 - Jan 5 by stiff_talking |
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. |
Was that the 4-2 win at Walsall?
The Duncan era wasn't the best, we had good players who should have made up a team to at least make the play-offs. However I enjoyed it and it is miles better than what we have today. Baltacha joining was great at the time, however it was a waste of time when we didn't play a sweeper system. I suspect it was a bit of a publicity stunt, remember John Duncan was the man who signed Ian Botham for Scunthorpe. John Lyall would have got those players promoted. |  |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:09 - Jan 5 with 847 views | Radlett_blue |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:02 - Jan 5 by The_Last_Baron |
Was that the 4-2 win at Walsall?
The Duncan era wasn't the best, we had good players who should have made up a team to at least make the play-offs. However I enjoyed it and it is miles better than what we have today. Baltacha joining was great at the time, however it was a waste of time when we didn't play a sweeper system. I suspect it was a bit of a publicity stunt, remember John Duncan was the man who signed Ian Botham for Scunthorpe. John Lyall would have got those players promoted. |
Well, Lyall did get Town promoted with the bulk of Duncan's squad. He brought in the later derided Mick McGiven as coach & presumably he had something to do with it as well.
Lyall didn't bring in much new blood - just his old lags Whitton & Goddard. I think the emergence of Dozzell & Kiwomya as outstanding players in the 2nd tier was key. | |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:09 - Jan 5 with 847 views | The_Last_Baron |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 11:27 - Jan 5 by GeoffSentence |
There was also some blokes flogging ipswich hats with a soviet flag on them, hastily knocked up by one of their grans on a knitting machine, from a bin bag in the North Stand. Quid a time. They probably made a decent amount that day. I got one and it is probably still knocking about round my house somewhere. |
A few months after he arrived at Town I ended up in Sergei's house thanks to a great man called Bob Shelley. Sergei gave me a Soviet hammer and sickle lapel badge and a signed Dynamo Kyiv team photograph. I still have the team photo and I'm sure the badge is knocking around somewhere. I remember his wife was the tallest woman I'd ever seen, she was an Olympian.
His son was a very good young footballer at the time, a striker. He ended up as a full-back and played for St Mirren.
Sergei is a youth coach at Charlton. | |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:11 - Jan 5 with 844 views | The_Last_Baron |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:09 - Jan 5 by Radlett_blue |
Well, Lyall did get Town promoted with the bulk of Duncan's squad. He brought in the later derided Mick McGiven as coach & presumably he had something to do with it as well.
Lyall didn't bring in much new blood - just his old lags Whitton & Goddard. I think the emergence of Dozzell & Kiwomya as outstanding players in the 2nd tier was key. |
Agree, Dozzell and Kiwomya were superb together. Bit like D Bent and Ambrose during their time playing together for Town. | |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:31 - Jan 5 with 837 views | Wallingford_Boy |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:09 - Jan 5 by The_Last_Baron |
A few months after he arrived at Town I ended up in Sergei's house thanks to a great man called Bob Shelley. Sergei gave me a Soviet hammer and sickle lapel badge and a signed Dynamo Kyiv team photograph. I still have the team photo and I'm sure the badge is knocking around somewhere. I remember his wife was the tallest woman I'd ever seen, she was an Olympian.
His son was a very good young footballer at the time, a striker. He ended up as a full-back and played for St Mirren.
Sergei is a youth coach at Charlton. |
And of course the most famous Baltacha of them all in this country, his daughter Elena.
RIP. |  |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 16:31 - Jan 5 with 819 views | The_Last_Baron |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:31 - Jan 5 by Wallingford_Boy |
And of course the most famous Baltacha of them all in this country, his daughter Elena.
RIP. |
She was 5 when I met the family. A tiny girl at the time, I have photographs of them all which I must dig out and post. | |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 17:51 - Jan 5 with 785 views | SuperCoops |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 14:02 - Jan 5 by The_Last_Baron |
Was that the 4-2 win at Walsall?
The Duncan era wasn't the best, we had good players who should have made up a team to at least make the play-offs. However I enjoyed it and it is miles better than what we have today. Baltacha joining was great at the time, however it was a waste of time when we didn't play a sweeper system. I suspect it was a bit of a publicity stunt, remember John Duncan was the man who signed Ian Botham for Scunthorpe. John Lyall would have got those players promoted. |
I was surprised to read John Duncan started off at Scunthorpe. But according to Wiki he was appointed in 1981, whilst Beefy joined in 1980 so Duncan didn't sign him? |  | | |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 19:27 - Jan 5 with 754 views | The_Last_Baron |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 17:51 - Jan 5 by SuperCoops |
I was surprised to read John Duncan started off at Scunthorpe. But according to Wiki he was appointed in 1981, whilst Beefy joined in 1980 so Duncan didn't sign him? |
Who knows, I thought it was Johnny Duncan who signed him. He certainly played under Duncan for Scunthorpe. I'm not sure Botham was a full time professional footballer with Scunthorpe, just played now and again over the course of a few years. | |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 20:00 - Jan 5 with 743 views | nodge_blue |
I was there! One of the most ridiculous things ever having a centre half play right midfield. He hardly played for us really. I think he was more used to being a sweeper. |  |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 22:51 - Jan 5 with 716 views | TheBoyBlue |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 12:33 - Jan 4 by gainsboroughblue |
I do remember an attendance of 13,000 plus being described as a 'bumper crowd' by Dave Allard in the Evening Star. |
Crowds in football generally were fairly low in those days weren't they? Not uncommon for top flight matches to come in under 10,000 if I recall and even in the early days of the Premier League Wimbledon sometimes barely got into four figures. | |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 23:10 - Jan 5 with 714 views | gainsboroughblue |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 22:51 - Jan 5 by TheBoyBlue |
Crowds in football generally were fairly low in those days weren't they? Not uncommon for top flight matches to come in under 10,000 if I recall and even in the early days of the Premier League Wimbledon sometimes barely got into four figures. |
I can remember 'big' clubs like West Brom, Stoke, Blackburn, Birmingham etc pulling in 8,000 maximum around then. Even Chelsea were barely getting 11-12,000 in Division One.
More affordable it may have been, but yeah, some terrible attendances really. Factors like hooliganism, high unemployment were fairly prevalent around that time too though. |  |
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| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 23:20 - Jan 5 with 709 views | The_Major |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 22:51 - Jan 5 by TheBoyBlue |
Crowds in football generally were fairly low in those days weren't they? Not uncommon for top flight matches to come in under 10,000 if I recall and even in the early days of the Premier League Wimbledon sometimes barely got into four figures. |
I seem to recall a game against Blackburn(?) with Michael Cheetham scoring that caused astonishment as the crowd topped 16k.
Bear in mind this was before it became all seater, so the capacity was 37k officially at that point.
Although saying that, I remember being at the last game of the promotion season in 92 against Brighton in their comedy Chewits wrapper kit. It seemed jam packed, but I think the crowd was only given as 28k or so? Not sure where you were going to stick another 9k. I suspect the middle pen of the North was empty, so you may have got another 2500 or so there, but anyone else would have to be dangling off the floodlights, or on the top of St Clare House with a pair of binoculars. |  | | |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 09:39 - Jan 6 with 677 views | Churchman |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 17:51 - Jan 5 by SuperCoops |
I was surprised to read John Duncan started off at Scunthorpe. But according to Wiki he was appointed in 1981, whilst Beefy joined in 1980 so Duncan didn't sign him? |
Sadly, I remember John Duncan as a footballer. He was a decent player in a poorish Spurs side in the 70s. Came across as a nice bloke, but a poor manager as shown by what Lyall did with many of the same players. Mind you, compared to Hurst and PL, he was a managerial genius. | | | |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 10:02 - Jan 6 with 671 views | Radlett_blue |
| Sergei Baltacha’s debut on 23:20 - Jan 5 by The_Major |
I seem to recall a game against Blackburn(?) with Michael Cheetham scoring that caused astonishment as the crowd topped 16k.
Bear in mind this was before it became all seater, so the capacity was 37k officially at that point.
Although saying that, I remember being at the last game of the promotion season in 92 against Brighton in their comedy Chewits wrapper kit. It seemed jam packed, but I think the crowd was only given as 28k or so? Not sure where you were going to stick another 9k. I suspect the middle pen of the North was empty, so you may have got another 2500 or so there, but anyone else would have to be dangling off the floodlights, or on the top of St Clare House with a pair of binoculars. |
Official attendance against Brighton was 26,803.
Raphael Mead scored their goal. He made one sub appearance for Town in a 1-0 defeat at Plymouth in 1990, when he nearly equalised with a late header. | |
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