Dartford Players of The Past

[The Don]

Tough but for me:
Bettinelli, Jacques, Steve Connor, Tom Bonner, Dave Myers, Peter Taylor, Hessie, Dave Martin, Ryan Hayes, Tony Burman, Cody Mac. Subs : Baghdad Billy, Terry Sullivan, Willy willy willy O, Marcus Gayle, Trevor Hand, Adrian Foley, Ray Tumbridge

[Reginald Horsfield]

Trevor Hand !!!!! He'll be delighted by that. I shall let him know

[Happy chappy]

Possibly I'm looking through rose tinted classes when i think of the best Darts players of the past, and when i first starting watching them in 1961 as a kid at Brent school Jonny Bourne always looked a terrific goalkeeper and Jonny Ashen a terrific centre half, but i was only young and possibly that weren't as good as i thought they were.
In them days before we had floodlights the club use to play some midweek afternoon games and we use to rush out of school and up the alley to catch the closing minutes of games. Happy days

[Trevor B]

I would have to include Tommy Huckstepp the old fashioned centre forward who scored almost as many goals with his head as with the boot.
Joined 1958-59 season and played 51 matches that season and scored 54 goals and the 1959-60 season nearly as impressive with 41 games
and 37 goals

[Happy chappy]

I would have to include Tommy Huckstepp the old fashioned centre forward who scored almost as many goals with his head as with the boot.
Joined 1958-59 season and played 51 matches that season and scored 54 goals and the 1959-60 season nearly as impressive with 41 games
and 37 goals

Like i say i saw my first Darts game is 1961 and Alf Ackerman was manager, so possibly Tommy Huckstepp had left. One forward i do remember and note i say forward as they what we called them then days and not striker like now was Jimmy Fletcher, who had a bit of a cult following among us school juniors and wasn't a bad player at all, but was probably past his peak when he came to us, and had done the rounds in Kent football, but always gave 100% and scored goals. To us kids he was always our best player and never made a mistake.The innocence of young schoolkids i guess. Happy days.

[Reginald Horsfield]

I would have to include Tommy Huckstepp the old fashioned centre forward who scored almost as many goals with his head as with the boot.
Joined 1958-59 season and played 51 matches that season and scored 54 goals and the 1959-60 season nearly as impressive with 41 games
and 37 goals

Like i say i saw my first Darts game is 1961 and Alf Ackerman was manager, so possibly Tommy Huckstepp had left. One forward i do remember and note i say forward as they what we called them then days and not striker like now was Jimmy Fletcher, who had a bit of a cult following among us school juniors and wasn't a bad player at all, but was probably past his peak when he came to us, and had done the rounds in Kent football, but always gave 100% and scored goals. To us kids he was always our best player and never made a mistake.The innocence of young schoolkids i guess. Happy days.

Mr Chappy, I put a bit up on Jim on the 31st December

[Reginald Horsfield]

by GordonRoadDart » Mon Dec 07, 2020 10:55 pm

Lincoln exile wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 12:18 pm
This week's "Messenger" reports the death of Jimmy Fletcher who played in Alf Ackerman's team in the 1960s. He also played for Maidstone, where he became an England Amateur International, Gillingham, Chatham, Faversham, Southend, Gravesend, Margate and Dover. I didn't know until I read today's article that he later became a greyhound trainer.
Didn't Jimmy play in the famous FA Cup victory over league team Exeter in 1961? I have a vague recollection that he may have scored in that match. The recorded attendance for that match was 6777 - Watling Street must have been packed! I recall being at school that day and having to wait until I got home to find out the result!

Yes I also remember this one and the wait to get home from school to hear the result.
For the younger readers this was played on a Wednesday afternoon in the days when Wednesday was half day closing so lots of shop workers helped to boost the attendance.
No mobile phones laptops I pads or internet those were the days so I had to speak to dad at home as he went to the game
I remember the next round even more against Bristol City as I travelled by train to the game in a small carriage sharing it with Lou Cooper John Ripley and a couple of other players along with my dad and uncle and pulling in to Ashton Gate Station and walking down to the ground only to see us lose 8-2 with goals from Jimmy Fletcher and Bobby Taylor but still a very good day out.

Jimmy Fletcher was a lovely man Trevor and a brilliant Greyhound Trainer. He trained a Greyhound Called Glengar Ranger. Jim and his son Jamie brought the dog from the flapping tracks in Scotland and they knew it was a very fast animal. They backed the dog Ante post at 200/1 to win the "Ike Morris Laurels" then run at the now closed Wimbledon. It won the final netting Jim over 250 thousand in the coup. Glengar Ranger then went on to contest the greyhound Derby final but falling short in the final. Jimmy was a wonderful honest and genuine man and often spoke about his footballing past at the dog tracks I worked at and he came too. Another goodun taken (this clip mentions the coup Jimmy executed to a tee)
https://youtu.be/B1gKKTrLdnQ

For you Mr Chappy to make you Happy

[Happy chappy]

by GordonRoadDart » Mon Dec 07, 2020 10:55 pm

Lincoln exile wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 12:18 pm
This week's "Messenger" reports the death of Jimmy Fletcher who played in Alf Ackerman's team in the 1960s. He also played for Maidstone, where he became an England Amateur International, Gillingham, Chatham, Faversham, Southend, Gravesend, Margate and Dover. I didn't know until I read today's article that he later became a greyhound trainer.
Didn't Jimmy play in the famous FA Cup victory over league team Exeter in 1961? I have a vague recollection that he may have scored in that match. The recorded attendance for that match was 6777 - Watling Street must have been packed! I recall being at school that day and having to wait until I got home to find out the result!

Yes I also remember this one and the wait to get home from school to hear the result.
For the younger readers this was played on a Wednesday afternoon in the days when Wednesday was half day closing so lots of shop workers helped to boost the attendance.
No mobile phones laptops I pads or internet those were the days so I had to speak to dad at home as he went to the game
I remember the next round even more against Bristol City as I travelled by train to the game in a small carriage sharing it with Lou Cooper John Ripley and a couple of other players along with my dad and uncle and pulling in to Ashton Gate Station and walking down to the ground only to see us lose 8-2 with goals from Jimmy Fletcher and Bobby Taylor but still a very good day out.

Jimmy Fletcher was a lovely man Trevor and a brilliant Greyhound Trainer. He trained a Greyhound Called Glengar Ranger. Jim and his son Jamie brought the dog from the flapping tracks in Scotland and they knew it was a very fast animal. They backed the dog Ante post at 200/1 to win the "Ike Morris Laurels" then run at the now closed Wimbledon. It won the final netting Jim over 250 thousand in the coup. Glengar Ranger then went on to contest the greyhound Derby final but falling short in the final. Jimmy was a wonderful honest and genuine man and often spoke about his footballing past at the dog tracks I worked at and he came too. Another goodun taken (this clip mentions the coup Jimmy executed to a tee)
https://youtu.be/B1gKKTrLdnQ

For you Mr Chappy to make you Happy

Thanks for that. So us school boys were right to hold him in such high esteem.
I did hear a few years a go about his betting coup and i heard he was very keen on Greyhound racing

[Trevor B]

Happy chappy mentioned

Like i say i saw my first Darts game is 1961 and Alf Ackerman was manager, so possibly Tommy Huckstepp had left.

Yes Tommy left in 1960 but as you mentioned Alf Ackerman our player manager at the time you must remember how he had a hard punch and used it several times on opposition defenders during the season early in the games getting suspended several times.
Not good for young fans but he had come from Millwall so learnt his trade with them

[Happy chappy]

Happy chappy mentioned

Like i say i saw my first Darts game is 1961 and Alf Ackerman was manager, so possibly Tommy Huckstepp had left.

Yes Tommy left in 1960 but as you mentioned Alf Ackerman our player manager at the time you must remember how he had a hard punch and used it several times on opposition defenders during the season early in the games getting suspended several times.
Not good for young fans but he had come from Millwall so learnt his trade with them

I Heard later that Alf had a fearsome reputation among players and vile temper if you got the wrong side of him