On this day ......

[Benfleet A1]

I never saw Billy Best play, was he really as good as some say?

 

[Firestorm]

Today is the 50th anniversary of my first game a 1-1 draw with Aldershot (Chisnall)

IIRC there is someone else on here sharing the anniversary

 

[Mick]

Today is the 50th anniversary of my first game a 1-1 draw with Aldershot (Chisnall)

IIRC there is someone else on here sharing the anniversary

Friday night football, 12,100 fans plus Firestorm - happy days.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Today is the 50th anniversary of my first game a 1-1 draw with Aldershot (Chisnall)

IIRC there is someone else on here sharing the anniversary

Happy anniversary!

 

[Zeuss]

I never saw Billy Best play, was he really as good as some say?

No not quite (sorry DB!!!),He was a truly excellent finisher with both feet and,though he wasn’t tall,his head.I’d rate him with Freddie Eastwood,but not quite as highly as the sensational talents that were ,for a much shorter time with us,Stan Collimore and Eddie Firmani.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Today is the 50th anniversary of my first game a 1-1 draw with Aldershot (Chisnall)

IIRC there is someone else on here sharing the anniversary

Yep, good man Firestorm for remembering we share this 'diamond anniversary'!.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Ha, I referred to that as recently as Tuesday when the kids saw a picture of Billy Best in the Far Post Bar :smile:

Which I heard! :smiles:

 

[AndyT]

11 years ago today :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpdM1S1vXLk

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

No not quite (sorry DB!!!),He was a truly excellent finisher with both feet and,though he wasn’t tall,his head.I’d rate him with Freddie Eastwood,but not quite as highly as the sensational talents that were ,for a much shorter time with us,Stan Collimore and Eddie Firmani.

You are right Stanley and Eddie Firmani were very good, but Billy shades it from Eddie Firmani for me; however, I loved the Eddie Firmani and Ray Smith strike-force, it was a real 'Beauty and the Beast" pairing with the elegance of Firmani and the scary broken-nosed Smith rampaging about.

 

[BrettieAngell]

11 years ago today :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpdM1S1vXLk

That goal will never, ever get old!

 

[Firestorm]

BB was signed in my first year following the Blues and he was an instant hero, so I didn't see Smith or Firmani

Also the enthusiasm of childhood might exaggerate the old emotions a bit, but he isn't quite up there with Freddy and Stan but personally in the top 5 strikers tussling with Cadette and Crown.

Interesting though, when we talk about our top strikers the same names get mentioned , obviously, but little is said about Lee Barnard , who was in his first spell really rather good .

 

[Zeuss]

BB was signed in my first year following the Blues and he was an instant hero, so I didn't see Smith or Firmani

Also the enthusiasm of childhood might exaggerate the old emotions a bit, but he isn't quite up there with Freddy and Stan but personally in the top 5 strikers tussling with Cadette and Crown.

Interesting though, when we talk about our top strikers the same names get mentioned , obviously, but little is said about Lee Barnard , who was in his first spell really rather good .

To realistically compare our very best strikers,I do feel you have to remember which divisions they scored most of their goals in:Best-Div 4,same as Ray Smith (later for Wrexham)who shouldn’t really get mentioned in this exalted company.Cadette,Crown(none?) and even Eastwood didn’t get that many above Div 3 level,so that brings us back to the sublime two at the very top:Collymore and Firmani.
,

 

[Uncle Leo]

To realistically compare our very best strikers,I do feel you have to remember which divisions they scored most of their goals in:Best-Div 4,same as Ray Smith (later for Wrexham)who shouldn’t really get mentioned in this exalted company.Cadette,Crown(none?) and even Eastwood didn’t get that many above Div 3 level,so that brings us back to the sublime two at the very top:Collymore and Firmani.
,

Cadette (my first SUFC hero) never played above the third tier for us but did for Sheffield United. He also had a decent spell in Scotland, when Scottish domestic football was a bit stronger than it is now.

Nothing compared to Firmani of course - any time I look at his career I'm amazed he ended up at Roots Hall. Just wish I'd seen him play.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Firmani

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

BB was signed in my first year following the Blues and he was an instant hero, so I didn't see Smith or Firmani

Also the enthusiasm of childhood might exaggerate the old emotions a bit, but he isn't quite up there with Freddy and Stan but personally in the top 5 strikers tussling with Cadette and Crown.

Interesting though, when we talk about our top strikers the same names get mentioned , obviously, but little is said about Lee Barnard , who was in his first spell really rather good .

He was very good, but it wasn't for long and he wasn't a transcendent talent like Stan for whom different rules apply. Barney only scored 39 goals for us, which places him some way down the list


1. 135 - Roy Hollis
2. 123 - Billy Best
3. 100 - Jimmy Shankley
4. 99 - Sammy McCrory
5. 77 - Freddy Eastwood
6. 76 - Billy Hick
7. 75 - Harry Lane
8. 72 - Steve Phillips
9= 69 - David Crown
9= 69 - Albert Wakefield
11. 66 - John McKinven
12. 64 - Cyril Grant
13. 63 - Brett Angell
14. 59 - Big Bad Barry Corr
15. 58 - Dickie Donovan
16. 57 - Ray Smith
17. 56 - Richard Cadette
18. 55 - Gary Moore
19. 51 - Derrick Parker
20. 49 - Mickey Beesley
21= 47 - Bill Garner
21= 47 - Leo Stevens

Not sure after that, but Gower is on 41.

Barnard 39.

Current top scorer in our squad in Leonard with 26.


The one in the modern era who doesn't get talked about enough for my money is Barry Corr. He was a seriously good player for us and helped the team to a fair bit of success (promotion, JPT final etc) and is behind only Eastwood, Crown and Angell in the goalscoring charts in my 30+ years watching Southend. He never looked out of his depth in the cup playing against the higher division sides. Considering what else he brought to the side, that's not a bad resume.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

He was very good, but it wasn't for long and he wasn't a transcendent talent like Stan for whom different rules apply. Barney only scored 39 goals for us, which places him some way down the list


1. 135 - Roy Hollis
2. 123 - Billy Best
3. 100 - Jimmy Shankley
4. 99 - Sammy McCrory
5. 77 - Freddy Eastwood
6. 76 - Billy Hick
7. 75 - Harry Lane
8. 72 - Steve Phillips
9= 69 - David Crown
9= 69 - Albert Wakefield
11. 66 - John McKinven
12. 64 - Cyril Grant
13. 63 - Brett Angell
14. 59 - Big Bad Barry Corr
15. 58 - Dickie Donovan
16. 57 - Ray Smith
17. 56 - Richard Cadette
18. 55 - Gary Moore
19. 51 - Derrick Parker
20. 49 - Mickey Beesley
21= 47 - Bill Garner
21= 47 - Leo Stevens

Not sure after that, but Gower is on 41.

Barnard 39.

Current top scorer in our squad in Leonard with 26.


The one in the modern era who doesn't get talked about enough for my money is Barry Corr. He was a seriously good player for us and helped the team to a fair bit of success (promotion, JPT final etc) and is behind only Eastwood, Crown and Angell in the goalscoring charts in my 30+ years watching Southend. He never looked out of his depth in the cup playing against the higher division sides. Considering what else he brought to the side, that's not a bad resume.

You're joking of course? The man absolutely polarizes opinion on these boards. I'm very much in the Barry Corr appreciation camp - you won't be surprised to hear me say that I feel pretty much the same for John White and Michael Timlin as well.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

You're joking of course? The man absolutely polarizes opinion on these boards. I'm very much in the Barry Corr appreciation camp - you won't be surprised to hear me say that I feel pretty much the same for John White and Michael Timlin as well.

Not joking.

I believe Roy Hollis also polarised opinion and he tops our all-time scoring list.

Corr was/is only talked about contemporaneously rather than in the all-time scheme of things. He's genuinely up there with the crowd on the rung below Freddy.

 

[EastStandBlue]

I've little doubt that if Corr was consistently fit he would've gone on to have a career not too dissimilar to Rickie Lambert or Grant Holt. Goalscoring targetmen are few and far between. Corr was one of them.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

I've little doubt that if Corr was consistently fit he would've gone on to have a career not too dissimilar to Rickie Lambert or Grant Holt. Goalscoring targetmen are few and far between. Corr was one of them.

Well I guess we will never know the answer to that. What I will say is that going up against 4th tier defences is one thing, up against world class centre halves in the prem is quite another.

 

[B.B.The Legend Lives On.]

To realistically compare our very best strikers,I do feel you have to remember which divisions they scored most of their goals in:Best-Div 4,same as Ray Smith (later for Wrexham)who shouldn’t really get mentioned in this exalted company.Cadette,Crown(none?) and even Eastwood didn’t get that many above Div 3 level,so that brings us back to the sublime two at the very top:Collymore and Firmani.

Regarding the above especially the comment about Ray Smith in connection with goals scored in Div.3(Lge 1 now).
Ray Smith played in 111 matches & scored 36 goals between 1962-66(average 3.08); Mike Beesley played in 79 matches & scored 35 goal between 1962-65(average 2.257); Eddie Firmani played in 36 matches & scored 16 goals(average 2.25) and finally Bobby Gilfillan played in 65 matches and scored 33 goals(average 1.96). So maybe Bobby Gilfillan should be given a little bit more credit for his goals/games record. I was lucky enough to have seen Eddie Firmani play for us many times both in Division 3 & 4 and not only was he a class player, but he was also a top top bloke to go with it.

 

[LBBlue]

I remember Bobby Gilfillan scoring 4 against Shrewsbury in a very wet mud bath of a pitch on 4th April 1964 in a 7-1 victory.

He then got another 4 against Col U on 7 November 64 ( almost on this day!) in a 6-3 victory. I remember the win but not Bobby scoring 4. What I do remember was that it was the second successive 6-3 home win having beaten Bristol Rovers 6-3 two weeks before on 24th October when Johnny Mac got a hat trick. In both games we were 4-1 up at half time. Gilfillan was top scorer with 23 goals in 64/65 and after the Col U game had scored 10 goals in 7 games having got a hat trick against Workington on 12 October.

Eddie Firmani joined for the start of the 65/66 season and Gilfillan only played 8 games ( 4 wins and 2 defeats against Hull and Millwall who got both promoted) ) before he left to join Doncaster in November 65 where he played 181 games in 5 years. He died 5 years ago on 8 November. Would we have stayed up if he had not been transferred? (Doncaster were Division 4 champions)