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LBBlue

Manager⭐
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
3,825
Location
Rye Sussex
All this reminiscing we have been doing got me thinking that Bill Garner probably doesn't get the recognition his performances in the 1971/72 promotion team deserve.

Today is his 70th Birthday !!

Bill joined us in November 1969 from Southern League Bedford Town for around £10,000/£12,000/£15000 depending on what you read. This was just before his 22nd Birthday. He had joined Bedford from Dunstable the previous summer for £500 and had scored 16 times in 24 games when he joined us.

There's a nice link here to a Bedford Town related site with a couple of photos -one of him scoring a typical Garner goal leaping feet above the defence to head home.

https://sites.google.com/site/bedfo...2/1967-8-to-1969-70-up-down-and-back-up-again

I think Ernie Shepherd must have signed him when Geoff Hudson was team manager and he took the place of Sammy Mc Millan who left for Chester the next month.

He made his debut on Nov22 in a defeat at York City. The team was in a bit of a mess then, Ernie had resigned , Hudson lasted three months, Ernie took over again before Arthur Rowley was appointed in March 70.

Bill Garner didn't set the world alight - he got his first goals against Lincoln City on Boxing day when the only 12 fit players in the club turned out with Phil O'Connor and Paul Vickery, 2 16 year olds having to make up the numbers.
He only scored 4 more goals having made 19 appearances plus 1 sub.

Next season wasn't much better , we finished 18th Bill played 40 games scoring 12 goals, including 4 against non league Weymouth in the FA Cup. By the end of the season Rowley had put together a decent set of players that excelled the next season.

What happened over the summer I don't know - maybe it was the preseason trip to Russia after a shaky start 1 win in 6 everything clicked. Billy Best got a hat trick as we beat league leaders Grimsby, and the forward line of Johnson, Best Garner, Moore and Lewis started scoring for fun as we soared up the league, clinching our first ever promotion scoring 81 league goals.


Bill Garner's contribution was 25 league goals in 40 starts. Only Richard Cadette and David Crown have equalled that total since - no scored more - not even Freddy or Billy Best.


Of course he only played 7 more games for us scoring 3 more goals . The last one being the Chelsea game.
It must have been very surreal for him, on Sept 1st playing at Tranmere in front of 2830, on 6 Sept playing against Chelsea in front of 24,160 at Roots Hall and the following Saturday 9th coming on as sub at Stamford Bridge against West Ham. We sold him for £80k or £100k depending on where you read. The link to the Bedford site says they sold their sell on rights for a pittance weeks before he was sold to Chelsea. They reckon it cost them £22K.


Anyway Happy Birthday, Bill you'll always be a Superstar in my eyes.
 
Great goal scorer, best header of a ball in a Blues team I ever saw. Happy 70th Bill, welcome to the old farts club.
 
If Andy Carroll is worth millions in transfer because he can head a ball, how much would Bill Garner be worth

Born in the wrong era
 
One of my favourite players when I was a kid and he was so much more than just good in the air, a mistake I think Chelsea made when they first played him
 
Terrific header of the ball, but good on the ground also and a dead cert when one on one with the keeper.
 
Real shame he let himself down with his behaviour on the touch line over at Rochford on Sunday mornings in the 80's.
 
Real shame he let himself down with his behaviour on the touch line over at Rochford on Sunday mornings in the 80's.

As do 99 % of the people who watch, alas Bill Played at a good level of pro football, whereas most other only play on their play stations or arm chair fans of their club, wanting the manager sacked

UTS
 
As do 99 % of the people who watch, alas Bill Played at a good level of pro football, whereas most other only play on their play stations or arm chair fans of their club, wanting the manager sacked

UTS


We were from the age group who missed seeing Bill play but had heard all about the legend. Witnessing him threatening half the team I played for because we beat them was a big disappointment to most of us. I mean Doggetts in the 80's on a Sunday, wasn't exactly full of local choir boys

The guy who scored our 1-0 winner was Dave Flack who scored many a goal for Wakering on a Saturday.
 
Was at the game,home debut...think it was V Aldershot??? The South bank was closed,all snowed in.I was standing in the West side,if all is correct,remember him punching a "shots" player,from a throw in (West side)
Happy Birthday ..walks like a women and wears a bra..BILL GARNER
 
Used to be my school PE teacher back in the early 90s. When the others sent us off running or made us play rugby, he used to have us play football. I never saw him play professionally, but one time in PE the ball dropped to him 25 yards out, and even though he was ref he couldn’t resist smashing it into the bottom corner.
 
Was at the game,home debut...think it was V Aldershot??? The South bank was closed,all snowed in.I was standing in the West side,if all is correct,remember him punching a "shots" player,from a throw in (West side)
Happy Birthday ..walks like a women and wears a bra..BILL GARNER


That's the one, very snowy only 2887 there which in those days was a very small crowd - 2-2 draw.
 
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