What has been your most memorable pre season friendly


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I was always a fan of pre-season trips to Forfar. Don't seem to get those very often any more. Fairly sure there was one there a few years back where we fielded a young Barcelona player as a trialist. Wonder what happened to that guy.

Steve Lomas played for West Ham in one of our friendlies against them. When he later became Saints manager he said something implying that he'd never been to McDiarmid before, which I always thought was odd.

A favourite friendly of mine was the one against Norwich where Momo Sylla played as a trialist and ripped them to shreds despite playing at right-back. Rowan Vine's trialist appearance against Bristol City was also a good one.

I remember going to the Vallodalid game as a kid and being gutted that Valderama didn't play. I feel like Higuita may also have been on their books at the time but might be wrong about that.

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I remember Roddy Grants testimonial from maybe about 19 years ago. Got strachans autograph and mcalisteter called me a dafty cause I asked for his armband when he got subbed but of course he'd swapped it. I did feel like a dafty even at about 12/13 years old.

Also remember the west ham friendly with rio and a Middlesbrough friendly with nick barmby. 

Anyone remember if there were any other big names in the Middlesbrough game? 

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I remember Roddy Grants testimonial from maybe about 19 years ago. Got strachans autograph and mcalisteter called me a dafty cause I asked for his armband when he got subbed but of course he'd swapped it. I did feel like a dafty even at about 12/13 years old.

Also remember the west ham friendly with rio and a Middlesbrough friendly with nick barmby. 

Anyone remember if there were any other big names in the Middlesbrough game? 

Possibly Craig Hignett?

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Guest ScottMann
 

Remember playing Aston Villa in 1988. Think we lost 1-2. Tony Daley was playing on the wing and was fastest player I have ever seen.

That was when the tannoy guy came out with one of the most surreal bits of dry humour ever heard at a football match. Saints had Gary Thompson, small, stocky, white and bearded. Villa had Garry Thompson, tall, athletic, black and clean shaven. The guy announced just before kick off that although there were two Gary Thompson's on the pitch you could tell them apart because Villa's Thompson spelled his name with two r's. Drink in the tannoy box was probably banned from then on.

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I was always a fan of pre-season trips to Forfar. Don't seem to get those very often any more. Fairly sure there was one there a few years back where we fielded a young Barcelona player as a trialist. Wonder what happened to that guy.

Manuel Exposito Presseguer was his name: http://us.soccerway.com/players/manuel-exposito-presseguer/149675/

Regarding Lomas and West Ham, I remember Ross Cunningham asking Steve Banks about being on the bench for West Ham at McDiarmid in 1992 (Imre Varadi played for Saints) and he had no recollection either.

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I remember Roddy Grants testimonial from maybe about 19 years ago. Got strachans autograph and mcalisteter called me a dafty cause I asked for his armband when he got subbed but of course he'd swapped it. I did feel like a dafty even at about 12/13 years old.

 

That's just given me a flashback to getting Pat Nevin's autograph from the Ormond Stand when Tranmere played at McDiarmid in the early 90s.

Roddy's testomonial was where Lovenkrands played as a trialist and was sensational, right? Whose testimonial was it where we played two South Americans in midfield? I think at least one was an Ecuador international. Maybe Biscuits' testimonial?

Here's one... anyone remember the international youth tournament hosted at McDiarmid, probably in the late 90s? There was an opening match on a Friday night where a Saints XI played, I think against a young Japanese team. Stephen Robertson started in goal for Saints but later moved outfield - only time I've ever seen that happen. Entry price on Day 1 also included a Blackburn match where one one of their players was hauled off for a shocking elbow on an opposition player right in front of the Main Stand. Tournament never happened again as far as I know. Did I imagine all this?

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Whose testimonial was it where we played two South Americans in midfield? I think at least one was an Ecuador international. Maybe Biscuits' testimonial?

There were two French trialists who played against Bradford in Preston's testimonial. Don't think @templeofsaints even managed to find out their names though, which is saying something!

The Ecuadorians were just targets that never materialised. They were Wellington Sanchez (44 caps) and Juan Carlos Burbano (18 caps). Think Clark even flew across the Atlantic to watch them.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_Sánchez

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Carlos_Burbano

Could have a whole other thread out of old trialists and targets!

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can anyone remember anything about the game v real valladolid on 30th july 1991, think they won 3-1

I was there. Valderamma definitely did not play. I think the Colombian goalie Higuita played for them at the same time, but he didn't play either. I can't remember the score, but pretty sure we lost. I think there was some expectation the big names would play, and there was a half decent crowd in.

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I was there. Valderamma definitely did not play. I think the Colombian goalie Higuita played for them at the same time, but he didn't play either. I can't remember the score, but pretty sure we lost. I think there was some expectation the big names would play, and there was a half decent crowd in.

30/07/91 Saints 1 Real V  2. Crowd 3328

Hamilton, Stewart, Baltacha, McVicar, Inglis, Turner, Moore, Davies, Wright, Grant,  Curran,  Scorer Grant.

Subs. Treanor, Dunne, McGinnis, Ward and Maskrey.

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  • 9 months later...
22 minutes ago, HOODLUM65 said:

Will this game stick in the memory?

Tuesday 10th July 2018 Saints take on The Mighty Berwick Rangers at Shieldfield park.

nope but the drinking sesh in there social club will be legendary.

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39 minutes ago, HOODLUM65 said:

Will this game stick in the memory?

Tuesday 10th July 2018 Saints take on The Mighty Berwick Rangers at Shieldfield park.

How underwhelming. I suppose it beats going to some communist country in Europa cup.

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