[Div3North]

Plymouth Argyle

v

Accrington Stanley

2021/22 Prediction League Game 39; v Plymouth Arguable



Starter for Ten this week; which team from these Fair Isles was known - among other nicknames - as "The Hi-Hi", and why was that?

Founded in 1872, Third Lanark Athletic Club was formed by a group of men who were part of the Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Regiment (some already having turned out for nearby Queen’s Park - another of the four Glasgow sides of those days). 1873 saw the birth of the Scottish Football Association, with said recently formed Third Lanark becoming one of its founder members, and they were also founder members of the Scottish Football League. They were champions of Scotland in 1904 (P30 W24 D3 L3) and, to date, are one of only four clubs to have beaten both halves of the Old Firm in the Scottish Cup final. Yet it was amid Scottish football's finest hour, the glorious summer of 1967, that the club went to the wall, having been relegated two years earlier (P34 W3 D1 L30)

That year, on April 28 just weeks before Celtic's European Cup victory and Rangers' run to the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, Thirds were humbled 5-1 away to Dumbarton on the last weekend of the Scottish league season. The axe fell on the club two months later. On July 7, 1967, at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, the presiding Judge Lord Fraser concluding that the club's liabilities far exceeded its assets and, with no sign of that position changing any time soon, he was left with no alternative but to issue an order to wind up the club. With one thump of his gavel, Third Lanark died.

Speculation about Third's finances had been growing for some time; club accounts were withheld from shareholders; players' wages were paid in coins which were obviously monies taken on the turnstiles; opposition clubs went without their share of gate money and when they did get it, the cheques frequently bounced.

Under the ownership of Glasgow businessman Bill Hiddelston, a former season ticket holder at Cathkin, Thirds redefined what it was to be thrifty. When young forward John Kinnaird dislocated his shoulder during a match at Clydebank, Hiddelston intercepted the ambulance before it took left for the hospital. 'Tell the doctor to pull the jersey over his head,' he demanded. 'Whatever you do, don't let him f****** cut it off. We need that strip for next week.'

And yet, for all the preposterous parsimony, nobody outwith Hiddelston's inner sanctum knew the perilous position the club found itself in - well, not until it was too late. The findings from a Board of Trade investigation, published in November 1968, laid bare the extent of Thirds' troubles - and it pinned the blame comprehensively on Hiddelston. In its damning summary, the report concluded that the club had, for several years, been run by him as 'an inefficient and unscrupulous one-man business'. At almost every turn, it appeared as though Third Lanark's finances had been misappropriated. Receipts were forged. Gate money went missing. Wages went unpaid. Transfer fees were mishandled. It was criminally shambolic. Hiddleston had wanted to sell the ground for development, but Glasgow Council put a stop to that, and at that stage he seems, from the reports at the time, to have asset-stripped, forged, defrauded, nicked, lied and done a runner - although nothing was ever proved against him in a Court of Law (so he's an innocent man, subject to the views of the Board of Trade (see above))

The last day of the 1960–61 season saw the Thirds reach a historic landmark, beating Hibs 6–1 at Cathkin Park to reach 100 goals for the season (with 80 conceded), and the win secured third place in Scotland's top division. The following season saw them take part in European competition for the only time when the club faced Rouen of France home and away in the Anglo-Franco-Scottish Friendship Cup (I remember it well!) .... Rouen won 4–0 at Cathkin on 7 November 1961 and 2–1 in France on 9 May 1962. Five years later they were gone

To the dismay of former players and supporters alike, Hiddelston escaped punishment. After Third Lanark folded due to bankruptcy in the summer of 1967, and with the Board of Trade inquiry still ongoing, he quickly and quietly moved his family to St Annes on Lancashire's Fylde Coast. He purchased the Braxfield Hotel close to the town's seafront, which he planned to convert either into upmarket residential villas or a refurbished, upmarket hotel. He never got the chance: on November 12, 1967, it was announced he had died from a heart attack.

It's a fascinating story, well documented on the internet and well worth a read; Third Lanark were known as the Thirds, the Warriors, the Scarlets (after their shirts) and the Hi Hi. The last nickname was rumoured to have started during a match in the late 1890s, when a defender kicked the ball so high out of the ground that the crowd started screaming "High High High" and that nickname stayed with the club ever since. The fans invariably started to sing "Hi Hi Hi!" as a battle cry to encourage the team to victory during the club's matches..... or it may have been the location of their new ground (which had been Queen's Park's first Hampden (renamed) which was apparently high over the city with views on all sides .............and seats in some parts!

And I know I said I'd do a piece on hat tricks and Hat Trick Heroes, but that'll have to wait for next week .........

Plymouth Argyle Football Club have played at Home Park, known as the "Theatre of Greens", since 1901. The club takes its nickname, "The Pilgrims", from the English religious group that left Plymouth for the New World in 1620 (Pilgrim Fathers, although there were some Pilgrim Motehrs there too). The club crest features the Mayflower, the ship that carried the pilgrims to Massachusetts. The club has predominantly played in green and white throughout their history, although a darker shade of green, described (by some) as "Argyle green", was adopted in the 2001–02 season, and has been used ever since. The city of Plymouth is the largest in England fielding a League club to never to have hosted top-flight football. They are the most southerly and westerly League club in England and the only professional club with "Argyle" in their name.

Originally founded simply as Argyle in 1886, the club turned professional as Plymouth Argyle in 1903. They won the Western League title in 1904–05 and the Southern League title in 1912–13, before winning election into the Football League Third Division in 1920. Finishing as runners-up on six consecutive occasions, they eventually won promotion as Third Division South champions under the long-serving management of Bob Jack in 1929–30. A 20-year stay in the Second Division ended in 1950, though they returned again as Div3South champions in 1951–52. After another relegation in 1956 they again proved too strong for the third tier, winning the Third Division title not long after in 1958–59. They were relegated into the fourth tier for the first time in 1995, and though they won immediate promotion in 1995–96, they were relegated again in 1998. Promoted as champions under Paul Sturrock with 102 points in 2001–02, they secured a record fifth third tier league title in 2003–04, and remained in the Championship for six seasons until administration and two successive relegations left them in League Two by 2011. In 2016–17 Argyle won promotion to League One, and again in 2019–20 following relegation the previous season.

They finished last season in 18th place, six points clear of trouble; for their signings etc over the summer please see the thread earlier this season where they thrashed us 4-1 at home ......... in La Fenetre de Transferts de Janvier deux milles vingt-deux they ProperSigned CMF Alfie Lewis from St Patrick's Athletic, so they did, and loaned Romony Critchlow from the Terriers and Stephen Sessegnon from Fulham, and Kieran Agard joined Donnie on expiry of his contract at Plymouth (You Stupid Boy!)

They lost their season-opener 2-0 at Rotherham, and then went 16 unbeaten (ten wins including Thrashing the Stanley, six draws); by the time they beat us, they'd been top of the League for about five weeks ....... a run of 2 wins, two draws and six defeats dropped them to 7th, but recently they're climbing again, having won eight of the last ten (although they lost to Rotherham again!) ... rather worryingly though they kept six clean sheets in those eight wins, the only sides to score against them (one goal each) being Crewe and Donnie ....... Home record is W11 D3 L4 GF25 GA14, and away it's W9 D5 L5 GF35 GA25, giving them overall P37 W20 D8 L9 GF60 GA39 for 68 points, eight points and some goals off the automatic spots (which look ever more nailed on to The Millers and Wigan), 5 points behind the Donuts and 4 goats - sorry, goals - behind Oxford - but Slumberland, Wednesday and Wycombe are snapping at their heels

They made Round 4 of the FA Cup before Chelski did them AET, Round 2 of the EFL Cup before Swansea thumped them 4-1, and didn't get out of the Troffy Group stage ............. and speaking of Swansea, you probably saw that the Posh - who haven't won for three months - looked like breaking that curse, only to be overhauled by a Swansea winner on 90+1 ........... now I don't very often feel sorry for the Posh, but ........... no, I still don't feel sorry for them ....... Mwahahahahaha! And to whoever said the that Nice Mr Evans is back as manager of Stevenage ............ go and wash your mouth out with carbolic!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 19th March, which is two days after St Paddy's Day, so it is, and eighteen days after St Taffy's Day ..... Isn't it. Look you. Eisteddfod.

Wonder how many of Chimer's "serious contenders" will tip us to lose this one?

Good luck to everyone! ............ Keep the Faith! ,,,,,,,,,, And thanks for playing!

COYR!