Tony Gough

Today is Tony Gough’s 80th Birthday.

Tony was of course the first City player - and for a long time the only one - to have made 500 appearances for the club. He was also captain of the Hereford team that knocked Newcastle out of the F A Cup in 1972 and went on to win the Southern League that season resulting in their election to the Football League.

I had a nice chat with Tony at the wake following Roger Swift’s funeral in the Autumn. He shared many memories of his years at Twerton and had a fine recall of matches played so long ago.

Happy birthday, Tony!

Happy Birthday, Mr Gough, have a great day. There's no way you can be 80 as it seems like it was only a year or two ago we went to your testimonial game against Tony Book's Manchester City!

I remember that testimonial match for Tony. I’m sure it was exactly seven days after Manchester City won the FA Cup at Wembley and they sent their first team. Imagine a Premiership club doing similar today.

Was that the game that ended 4-4 or 5-5? I was there standing on the air raid shelters if memory.......

I was also stood on the air raid shelters and probably blocked your view! The score was 5-5 with the defences well on top...

Yes, that would be all the hair you had then!  
Seem to remember Tony was still playing in the Bath & District League well into middle age.
My abiding memory of him was the last match of 1973-4 season away at Andover.  I think he'd returned briefly at the end of his professional career.  City needed to win to secure promotion back to the Southern Premier.  We'd beaten them 5-0 only 3 days earlier at TP and they were relegated.  Seemed Andover were determined to 'chuck water on our bonfire'.  
It was 0-0 until right near the end when he let fly from distance and in it went.  Joyous celebrations as 1-0 was how it stayed.  At least that's how I remember it.

I missed most of that season due to being away at college. What made promotion all the more remarkable was the dreadful start. The Good Book indicates that in late October we had only five points on the board from the nine matches. Roy Bence was sacked as manager and under his replacement Bert Head we never looked back.

The day after the win at Andover we lost at home to Hereford in the final of the Border Counties Floodlight League Cup which was apparently spoilt by visiting hooligans. The season ended a week later when we lifted the Swanborough Cup (?) in a tight affair at Melksham winning 7-5!