The Plane Trip

The plane trip to West Hartlepool stands out in my enjoyment of watching the Cherry and Whites.

It was not long after I became a member and we flew in a 35-seater plane from Staverton to Tyne/Tees airport.

We flew to make it possible for Simon Morris to play. He came off night duty in the Police Force, flew to the North East and then flew back and, I believe, went back to night duty.

I remember that Richard West took my front seat so as to accomodate his long legs. Others on the flight included captain Andy Deacon, Martin Kimber, Mark Mapletoft and two really great gents, Peter Ford and Eric Vick who made me and my daughter very welcome.

This was the match where Tofty was travelling to join the England party after the match but was seriously injured as the result of some deliberate foul play.

Unfortunately, I believe we lost.

The Citizen should have photographs in their archives as their female reporter travelled with us and took photographs on the plane.

One person who was not on the plane was Dave Sims who hated flying and his wife drove him up.