Biggest football legend you’ve ever seen play at your own ground.

[joethegill]

George Weah while he was at City. Can't be too many World Player of the Years on this thread!

Ruud Gullit made his first appearance for Chelsea at Priestfield in a friendly in 1995 as well. Again with Chelsea, Gianfranco Zola turned out in a cup game at Priestfield, as did World Cup winning Frank Leboeuf!

 

[Valeite]

Bergkamp, Beckham, Bryan Robson, Bobby Charlton, Hoddle, Fowler, Owen all class but the best probably Colin Tartt- totally different gravy

 

[The Terminator]

George Weah while he was at City. Can't be too many World Player of the Years on this thread!

Ruud Gullit made his first appearance for Chelsea at Priestfield in a friendly in 1995 as well. Again with Chelsea, Gianfranco Zola turned out in a cup game at Priestfield, as did World Cup winning Frank Leboeuf!

Ah yes, I saw Zola play against us for Chelsea in a friendly at our place in 2001 as well, which I quite enjoyed - watching a player of that quality play against my team live, even if it was a friendly.

 

[Dan_Macclad]

Danny Whitaker

 

[The_Boss]

Danny Whitaker

You've just won the internet.

 

[ForzaCounty]

Too young to have seen George Best turn out in County colours, so I'd have to go with the likes of Ravanelli & Co in the League Cup semi 96-97; Etxeberria and Urzaiz when we played Bilbao in a friendly; Gazza for Boro, another friendly; George Weah for city, again a friendly

 

[lordofthepies]

Crvena Zvezda/Red Star Belgrade/whatever we're supposed to call them also played a friendly at Fortress Grest a couple of years before i started going. As far as I know, Dejan Savićević, Darko Pančev, Siniša Mihajlović, Robert Prosinečki and Vladimir Jugović all played. Sadly, Prosinečki didn't play when Pompey came to town in 01/02.

 

[EricSabin]

Crvena Zvezda/Red Star Belgrade/whatever we're supposed to call them also played a friendly at Fortress Grest a couple of years before i started going. As far as I know, Dejan Savićević, Darko Pančev, Siniša Mihajlović, Robert Prosinečki and Vladimir Jugović all played. Sadly, Prosinečki didn't play when Pompey came to town in 01/02.

Who

 

[Craig]

End thread.

 

[Greenacres]

Blimey, this is difficult as we have only had pre-season friendlies against "big" clubs and an occasional cup game, rather than having played against some of the best in the land...then drifted slowly and sadly southwards.

Possibly Julio Arca, for Sunderland in pre-season. In a competitive game, Jamie Vardy for Fleetwood is probably the one who has gone on to the greatest success. Players who I wish had actually played for us, Kevin Betsy from Woking, who was pretty decent...or maybe Nortei Nortey for comedy value.

 

[pontoonlew]

Aside from the mentioned ones for us, Robert Prosinecki was pretty special.

 

[James Frost]

Bob Latchford 1986. I would have said Leighton James but he shouted at me when I was a ball boy so screw him.

 

[Limerick Mariner]

Ivano Bonetti
Matt Tees...
Joe Waters...

Oh and Scott McGarvey...legendary ex Man Utd player who tried to jump the fence, like Cantona, but to fight with his own team's supporters...

Moore, Hurst and Peters all played for West Ham at BP in 1965...before my time

 

[SoutheySWFC]

Henry
Cantona
John Oster

 

[Bone Idle]

I saw john Charles play for Hereford against us in the70s also going back a bit further Ronnie(bronco) lane sheff wed and England in the 60s also john Aldridge started his league career with us, but the best player I ever seen at our place and I don't know if you could class him as a legend "yet" was david silva for man city, absolutely superb.

 

[SoutheySWFC]

I saw john Charles play for Hereford against us in the70s also going back a bit further Ronnie(bronco) lane sheff wed and England in the 60s also john Aldridge started his league career with us, but the best player I ever seen at our place and I don't know if you could class him as a legend "yet" was david silva for man city, absolutely superb.

It was David Layne, he was never capped

 

[Bone Idle]

It was David Layne, he was never capped

Sorry my mistake! if he was never capped he should have been he was bloody good, but not good enough on the day as we won 3-2 in a 3rd round fa cup tie, I also seem to recall he got caught up in some betting scandle at the time, didn't he also play for Swindon?

 

[SoutheySWFC]

Yeah it was his ex Swindon team mate that instigated it.

 

[The_Boss]

Blimey, this is difficult as we have only had pre-season friendlies against "big" clubs and an occasional cup game, rather than having played against some of the best in the land...then drifted slowly and sadly southwards.

Possibly Julio Arca, for Sunderland in pre-season. In a competitive game, Jamie Vardy for Fleetwood is probably the one who has gone on to the greatest success. Players who I wish had actually played for us, Kevin Betsy from Woking, who was pretty decent...or maybe Nortei Nortey for comedy value.

This is one of the most tin pot posts of all time.

 

[Casey]

Before my time but Crawley used to play in the Metropolitan League. A strange beast which had the big London clubs reserve sides and little towns such as Crawley (before the expansion) and Dunstable. That means we had the Hurst's Moore's etc playing at our old Town Mead ground.

More up to date I recall watching Cesc Fabregas score a forty yard chip in a FA youth cup match. He was sixteen at the time.

Casey

 

[northstandexile]

Ivano Bonetti
Matt Tees...
Joe Waters...

Oh and Scott McGarvey...legendary ex Man Utd player who tried to jump the fence, like Cantona, but to fight with his own team's supporters...

Moore, Hurst and Peters all played for West Ham at BP in 1965...before my time

Moore, Hurst and Peters all played for West Ham at Field Mill in 1969 and I saw them hammered 3-0 by the stags.

 

[Greenacres]

This is one of the most tin pot posts of all time.

Thank you very much, I had forgotten how retro it was to call out tin pottery, very non-league...that felt like a real blast from the past...what is it that is said about never forgetting where you have come from, I certainly haven't and at times still can't believe we are in the Football League.

 

[The_Boss]

Thank you very much, I had forgotten how retro it was to call out tin pottery, very non-league...that felt like a real blast from the past...what is it that is said about never forgetting where you have come from, I certainly haven't and at times still can't believe we are in the Football League.

Glad to help you keep your feet on the ground.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Hah, lot of my fondest memories are Southern League. Polish that tin 'til it shines I say.

 

[devilofajob]

I didn't see Fabregas, but Peter Crouch scored at our place in the FA Cup for Stoke 6 or 7 yrs ago

 

[Attila the hun]

Bobby Moore when playing for Fulham scored a diving header own goal at ours

 

[GTFCfish]

I missed our game v Crewe but it looks like Youtube’s own Chris MD scored one of the Crewe goals.
#legend

 

[loz]

The most talented player we’ve ever had I’d say, he also wrote off a lot of money we owed him when we went into administration so we owe him a debt of gratitude for that too, a top player and person.

I'd say the most talented player we've ever had was Chris Waddle, even though he was at the wrong end of his career. Agree with semi skimmed silk, Jon Parkin was pretty big but when he played for us, Nev Southall was even bigger, we had to go to a camplng shop to get his shorts and he even split them.

 

[loz]

I’m with the Bradford lads.

This is fucking tin pot!

agree but it is nice to reminisce. Did Ossie Ardilles ever play for Swindon? He wasn't a bad player.

 

[Indian Dan]

Yeah. Started as player-manager. As did Hoddle. And McMahon.

I hated McMahon.