It's those of us who are long in the tooth and have elephants memories that are going in the main for Gibson, Jan Moller might have been my choice but he wasn't about long enough for me to IMHO same as Boaz Myhill who was with us on loan but has finally shown he is a good Keeper.
Perhaps a few words of explanation to our younger City fans. In the 60's and 70's life in Britain was a lot different to now. No motorways, few people had cars, so for a northerner coming to Bristol, it would take forever for his family to go home to see friends and family. Going to the midlands and north of England was like going to a foregn country. Thus many players completed their careers with their home town team or one very nearby. For instance Bert Tindill from Yorkshire played 60 games for City scoring 32 goals. What we would give for someone other than Steve Davies with that record now. Yet he went back to Barnsley because his wife who came from a close knit mining community could not settle in the club house City provided. Others like Alec Eisentrager, Bob Anderson, Gerry Gow, Tom Ritchie, Gerry Sweeney settled in the West country like Gibson did and lived(or still living) out the rest of their lives locally. Footballers were not badly paid but neither were they rich. Gibbo who hailed from Derby left City at 33 years of age in an era when keepers did not go on forever like some now. He may well have had a friend already at Gillingham or perhaps none of the local clubs like Exeter Torquay etc needed a keeper. I hope this goes some way to explain what could be taken as an apparent lack of ambition of players then. Finally, I voted for Mike Gibson, not because he is the best goalkeeper I've ever seen play for City, but because I believe that anyone who plays 376 games for the club with real commitment and 100% honesty and effort, deserves the accolade as the greatest City keeper.
Do any of the older Not 606ers remember Mike (Jock) Mahoney. He was a decent keeper if my memory serves
Best I have seen was Moller who played forty odd games, which isn't that much less than the likes of Cheesley. I have not been called young for two decades, I am nearly fifty. My knowledge of Gibson is virtually nil, apart from he was small which was not so unusual v todays giants and he still attends Ashton Gate [Williams].
Yes if my memory is right, he was from Hartcliffe and went to Liverpool via Wrexham (?) where he had some success for several years but mainly as no. 2 to Ray Clemence (?) Correction;No that is Mike Hooper who ended up at Liverpoool. Mike Mahoney went to Torquay. Sorry chaps, I think I'm always right but wrong yet again! Yes Red Alert, Jan Moller was the best I've seen in goal for City. But I consider it's not fair on those who are with City for a long time to include short term players as all-time greats. Just my opinion. I've asked shiny to carry on with this theme throughout all positions so we'll certainly have the same discussion when we get to Norman Hunter and Jacki's positions. Good to hear Mike Gibson is still a City fan.
Long long ago, when I were a lad, I'da go to Ashton Gate every other Saturday and stand on the terrace which is now the East End and watch Tony Cook. I don't think any of you ol'timers have mentioned him. How did you rate him?
I remember Tony Cook, played on the downs originally, friend of my family, very good goalkeeper, but liked a good tipple, have been known to be a little worse for ware, even on some match days.
Tony Cook was a real character who I am led to believe by a friend who knew him well that pre-match meal was a couple of pints followed by a cigarette in the toilet at ten to three. Broke enough bones for the cause and IMO never let City down. Another who played over 340 games for City over 15 years even though he had good competition from Con Sullivan & Syd Morgan in his early days and later Bob Anderson and Mike Gibson. Hey Pirate, we both did the same thing, going to each others games. It's what most of my mates did as well. Do you remember the Rovers fans throwing oranges to Howard Radford at half time? And that very sad Saturday after the great Harry Bamford died in a road collision, when Rovers played a league match against City at Eastville. I've never seen so many fans from both sides so visibly upset that day during the minutes silence before the game. Times like that make one realise that it is only a game.
I was in the East End that night almost right behind the goal when Cashley kicked it. Great memories, night games in those days were very atmospheric with the haze of *** smoke hanging over the ground being caught by the floodlights. A couple of seasons before Pat Jennings had done the same. I think it might have been against Man U at Old Trafford ? CIDERED ABROAD - Going back to Jock Mahoney, wasn't there also a link with him and Newcastle United ?
Sentence at the start mentions "best" goal keeper. Mike Gibson was sighted and virtually an ever present in the Williams supporters club at half time.
cidered......Howard Radford is still around and was at the Mem. on Saturday signing copies of the new Geoff Bradford book by Mike Jay and Ian Hadrell.
Pirate; Mike Jay bought my house from me back in 1997 in Hanham. And Geoff Bradford what a footballer considering he had two very serious knee injuries that knocked his career all over the place. And I seem to remember that when he came back from the first injury in the reserves, the crowd for this match at Eastville was I think 13,000.
