Offwell FC 1970-71 and still no Silverware

By Dick Sturch

The first newsletter by Roy Land for the new1970-71 season welcomed all the new players that had signed for the club which was now fielding a 1st X1 and a Reserve team. Major signings included John Connett, Pete Eyles, Ken Hookings and keeper Marty Richards. Roy wished both teams good luck for the season and looked forward to them bringing home some silverware as it was long overdue.

The initial game of the season provided the team with a 2-0 home victory against the Royal Marines, Lympstone with goals from Ralph Langworthy and Jimmy Fowler. The initial euphoria was quickly dampened with a 7-1 home defeat to Tipton St John. Roy reporting on the game wrote: "With Jimmy Fowler unable to play and Dick Sturch, the only change any similarity with the team that had beaten the Marines ended. Ralph Langworthy did get a consolation goal but Marty Richards in the Offwell goal was left cruelly exposed throughout the match."

The first game in October went some way to restoring faith when we beat Newton Poppleford 5-1 in the first round of the Football Express Cup. Ralph Langworthy scored a hat-trick and with further goals from Ian Wicks and Jimmy Fowler Offwell took complete command of the game.

The headline for a game later in the month declared "Desperate Woodbury hold out". Further details of the game described Offwell playing down the slope and falling behind to a defensive lapse and an unlucky penalty decision. Within three minutes of the restart Offwell's position looked hopeless when they conceded another goal, but in the final 30 minutes Offwell took total control and scored through Langworthy and Sturch. Minutes before the end they again had the ball in the net only for Woodbury`s linesman to belatedly wave the goal offside.

Moving into November, Offwell were away at Witheridge in the Football Express Cup. Roy's account makes interesting reading: "The match started in a heavy sleet storm and a bitter wind blowing straight off Exmoor and on a pitch covered in water Offwell soon underlined the difference in class between the two teams. They laid siege to the home goal and after good work from Jimmy Fowler were in front after 10 minutes.

"The home keeper performed valiantly but was helpless when Ralph Langworthy lashed the ball home with an unstoppable left-foot shot. The Witheridge goal had inumerable hair-raising escapes before the ref blew the half-time whistle. All the time the weather had been getting worse, including a five-minute snow storm, and at the break the referee called the game over." (I well remember this game, it was freezing and we had to carry Johnny Stamp off as he was too cold to move!).

The following week Farway were the opponents and as usual it entailed the ferocity of which these derby games were famous. In this case though Offwell ran out winners 4-1. Max Pipe turned in his best performance of the season.

The final game of the month was the replay of the abandoned Football Express Cup two weeks earlier. Under Roy's headline "Offwell beat the mud", he went on to add "Offwell penned Witheridge in their own half for long periods of the half but were thwarted by a sea of mud in the centre of the pitch until Langworthy in a short space of time scored twice to give us the lead our performance deserved. The home side equalised but we finally got the winner our play deserved when Langworthy blasted home to complete his hat-trick. Offwell can be well pleased with their victory especially playing on such atrocious ground conditions."

December found Offwell languishing second to bottom above basement team Feniton in Division 1 East but four league games less than any other team in the league. Their opponents for the first game of the month were arch enemy Honiton Town and certainly there was never any love lost when the two teams locked horns. The headlines in the local press after the 1-1 draw at high flying Honiton read "Offwell are thrilled to bits". Going behind in the second half to a Teddy Tunks' goal Offwell quickly responded with a Dick Sturch netting the equaliser. Honiton were impressed with the form of Offwell`s Ian Wicks who was a constant danger.

Roy's newsletter report on the following game began with the headline "Offwell wreak revenge" when they beat Tipton St John 3-2 in the Football Express Cup with two Langworthy goals and one from Ian Wicks. The following day, Sunday, Offwell made hard work of their 5-2 Golesworthy Cup win against a Dunkeswell team reduced to nine men in the extra time needed to secure the victory.

Going into 1971 Honiton were league leaders a point ahead of Tipton St John. Offwell had moved up fourth from bottom but still games behind the rest. After two blank Saturday's Offwell began January by, as Roy described, "stamping our authority on the game from the very first minute."

A 6-1 victory against Kentisbeare. Two goals each for Langworthy and Sturch sealed the points before Kentisbeare scored their only goal. Further goals from Trevor Pipe and Pete Eyles completed the scoring. The next game was a tight 4-5 win at Feniton. Midway through the first half Roy enjoyed writing "brotherly love" when during the first half Offwell`s Max Pipe headed home a corner kick taken by his brother Trevor. In a close game Sturch got the winner minutes from time. Offwell travelled to Exminster for the last game of the month without Langworthy and under the heading "Team work pays off" won 3-0 victory with goals from Hookings, Wicks and Fowler.

"Offwell", reported Roy, "got off to a great start in February completing our first double of the season by beating the Marines, Lympstone 3-1. Ken Hookings put us in front but the Marines quickly equalised then just before half-time Dick Sturch had his penalty kick well saved. Dick atoned for his miss when he headed two goals in the last 20 minutes from crosses provided by a young Dave Clark who looked very promising in his senior team debut. Marty Richards in goal had a good game his consistency and command of his area inspired the whole defence."

The following week the newsletter began "Unlucky13 for Offwell", then continued trying to take our unbeaten run to 13 games we were defeated 2-5 at home by Sidbury, although the score rather flattered the visitors as we squandered chance after chance. Trevor Pipe and Dick Sturch scored for Offwell who unfortunately will be without the injured Langworthy for the rest of the season.

The following week Offwell went to the league leaders Tipton and came away with a 3-3 draw the result of never giving up even when behind for most of the game. Two goals for Ted Beament and one for Trevor Pipe ensured Offwell were rewarded for their relentless endeavour. The headline for the final game of the month read "Offwell knock Woodbury for six" then continued "without getting into top gear on a quagmire of a pitch we romped home 6-2 with a Ken Hookings hat-trick, a Ted Beament double and one from Dick Sturch. Ian Wicks was outstanding in midfield.

"Hopes of League honours vanish" was the headline for the first game in March as Sidbury completed the double at home 4-2. The newsletter went on: "Our faint hopes of League honours this year brightened, dimmed then glimmered again but finally died with this result. Dick Sturch opened the scoring with a penalty. Sidbury responded in minutes with a goal that was strongly disputed. In the second period Sidbury went in front only for Dick to level but in the final minutes the home side added two more to gain the points."

The following week Offwell gained their second double of the season when, in a poor game, they defeated Exminster 3-1. For the following day's game the newsletter headline read: "We wuz robbed." It then went on to describe the Grandisson Cup game away to senior opponents Sidmouth where we went down 2-1. "Both goals scored against us were controversial. Offwell were in charge of the first half until the last minute of play when the ball still in the field of play was adjudged (by the Sidmouth linesman) to have gone out for a corner from which the home side equalised.

"After again pressurising Sidmouth for most of the second half fate again took a hand literally when the ball was blatantly bought under control by the hand of a Sidmouth forward before he lobbed it over the keeper's head for the winner five minutes from time. The best side were robbed."

The last game in March was a black day for Max Pipe who broke his leg after only nine minutes at Offwell against Honiton. After the ambulance left 25 minutes later the game resumed. Ted Beament had put Offwell ahead and then after the re-start Teddy Tunks equalised for Honiton. Offwell clinched the game 2-1 when Jimmy Fowler headed home a Dick Sturch free-kick with ten minutes to go. This win knocked in the head Honiton's opportunity of promotion from Junior football for another season. Referee Lou Barding made a generous gesture by putting his fee and expenses into a collection for Max.

Of the opening game in April Roy's newsletter reported: "Our 4-3 defeat by lowly Kentisbeare I am convinced was Max's broken leg playing on the mind of our team against a hard tackling side who were determined to win the ball and frequently did."

The words were a bit different three days later when the newsletter described our away win in the Football Express Cup against Greyhound, the previous year's winners. "I think, if we were honest, few of us would admit to more of a hope that we would put up a good show and go down fighting. The actual event proved that we did very much more, by beating them 2-1 and progressing into the semi-final against Thorverton. Our winner, after Dick's vital early goal, was struck home by Ken."

Roy's next report was far different in tone: "This must rate as one of the worst local derbies ever between our club and Farway. We gained the double over them when Ken Hookings scored the only goal of the game and that's about all that can be said."

League leaders Kenn were the next visitors and secured a 3-2 victory thanks to an own goal by an Offwell defender. Feniton were the visitors for the next game which Offwell hung on to win 3-2. Ralph Langworthy, returning after a long lay-off, scored twice. Two days later a 4-2 defeat away to Crescent knocked us out of the Golesworthy Cup and the final matches of the season both ended in defeat for Offwell. Thorverton were the victors of the Football Express Cup semi-final and Kenn in the league.

Offwell finished the season fourth in Junior 1 East but again another season without that elusive silverware Roy so desperately wanted. Ralph Langworthy was top goalscorer with 24; Dick Sturch 21, Ken Hookings 10.