Best player YOU have played against?

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Steve Gatting

Bobby Stokes (scored the winner for Southampton in the FA Cup final.)

Glen Geard.

 

[wallyback]

Richard Tiltman would you believe. He was playing Sompting u 16s I think.

Best I played with was a guy called Chris Punter. He was playing in Worthing's first team at 18 (When Worthing were the best semi pro side in Sussex). I believe he turned his car over and did his back in. Could have been a pro.

 

[Telford Seagull]

Pascal Chimbonda during pre season would be up there for me!

 

[piersa]

Peter O'Sullivan, he just stood in the middle of the pitch and ran the game. Darren Freeman, he was strong and fast but had a shocking touch. He got sent off. Was his last game before becoming pro, the ref did not send it in.

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

I remember him, I was at Hove Grammar with him. I would have played against him as well.

Whatever happened to him?

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

When I was about 15 I went away for a football camp and one of the coaches was Peter Osgood, he was simply brilliant and ran rings around us kids even though we were 30 years younger than him.

I regularly played against Darren Freeman as we went to the same school and our years trained against each other.

 

[Hiney]

Played in the Hampshire League a good few years ago and we played Petersfield Town.

We were laughing at the little fat bloke who lined up at the back, thinking we would win easily.

Wrong.

He was unbelievable, we literally couldn't get the ball off him.

He was Bobby Stokes.

 

[Hiney]

All these stories illustrate just how much better the pros are at football, whatever their level.

It makes all the "Oi <insert name of hapless League One footballer here>, you're SHIT!" comments a bit ridiculous.

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

Geoff Barnet, signed by Arsenal from Everton in 1969 to take over in goal when Bob Wilson broke his arm. He played in the Cup Final against Leeds.

He stayed at the hotel I was working at when he joined Arsenal and used to come for a kickabout with our hotel team. I was in goal once when he took a shot, nearly took my head off. Professional footballers, especially goalkeepers, kick with a power us mere mortals could only dream of.

 

[Knocker15]

I played in a Cup Final for Newhaven U18's and faced a Whitehawk side starring Darren Freeman. He was VERY good.

Also played against Kim Grant and Simon Rodger at youth level.

Over to you NSC.

I think I may of played in that final to!

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Played in the Hampshire League a good few years ago and we played Petersfield Town.

We were laughing at the little fat bloke who lined up at the back, thinking we would win easily.

Wrong.

He was unbelievable, we literally couldn't get the ball off him.

He was Bobby Stokes.

When I played against him, he was playing for either Chichester or Portfield in the Sussex county league.

I believe he died a few years ago, fairly young if memory serves.

 

[The Modfather]

Russell Bromage in sunday league when he was about 40 odd. Best player on the pitch.

 

[melias shoes]

Ian Chapman in the park in woodingdean.
Not quite the same but did my apprenticeship with the football genius himself John Crumplin.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Richard Tiltman would you believe.
Best I played with was a guy called Chris Punter. He was playing in Worthing's first team at 18 (When Worthing were the best semi pro side in Sussex). I believe he turned his car over and did his back in. Could have been a pro.

Played against Tiltman and Chris Punter. Remember Punter playing for West Chiltington on a Sunday morning and was so much better than everyone else on the pitch. Unfortunately he knew it and was a really cocky *******. For the return match, we held a whip round and agreed to pay the fine for whoever got sent off for bringing him down a peg or two. Turned up to find he wasn't playing that day!

Peter O'Sullivan, he just stood in the middle of the pitch and ran the game.

Was that in his Mile Oak Sunday days? Was a fair few years after he had stopped playing at pro level but you could still see what a class player he was.

 

[BobbySmith]

Glenn Geard, when I was in an under 16 game against him, Mark Lawrenson, in a charity game, Peter O'Sullivan on a Sunday morning, Terry Connor and Frank Worthington v Albion reserves in a senior cup game. Think Worthington, was so hard to get near too, so strong as well.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Actually thinking back my first job was working for the long disappeared Southdown Building Society. We had a works team for which I was the 'hard working' (read shit but fit) centre back. Ex Albion stalwart Steve Piper ran an IFA company at the time and we played against them though he can't have played himself in that game as we won and no one in the oppo stood out. I also remember us travelling to the West Country to play against Gloucester Building Society in the Building Society Cup (I know). They had an ex Swindon player and as CB it was mine andmy mates duty to kick him every time we got near him. Mostly we missed. The one time I connected I actually mis timed it and got the ball. To this day it's the best tackle I ever made but it was totally accidental

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

When I played against him, he was playing for either Chichester or Portfield in the Sussex county league.

I believe he died a few years ago, fairly young if memory serves.

Bobby was one of the other coaches at the same camp I mentioned earlier another fantastic player. Sadly passed away in 1995 at the age of 44, that was only 5 or so years after I'd met him.

 

[BensGrandad]

When at school against Peter Bonnetti who played for St Mary RC School and Brian Yeo who played many games for Gillingham but started at Elm Grove School in Worthing..

 

[essex seagull]

Jimmy Collins

 

[Coach_Carter_92]

Played against Lewis Dunk, JFC and Grant Hall. I also watched Victor Moses play against my school team (2 or 3 years above me) and he ran rings around them, scored 9 times if i recall correctly.