Steve Plowes

I first encountered Steve when he came across my fanzine SWWF around 1991, about three years after we first started it (first issue came on sale at Alan Buckley’s first home game as a Town manager). His letter was lengthy, effusive and very funny. He instantly became a primary contributor to the magazine and became its editor when I handed the reins over to him, I think, in the summer of 1991. We met several times and he was as engaging and funny in person as on paper. We lost contact when I moved abroad and it’s a sad day today learning of his death. He was a fine man and a true Town loyalist, with the necessary gallows humour that is an essential part of any Mariner’s make-up.

RIP Pedro.  I only had a few lessons with you at Clee Grammar but they were certainly fun.
Enjoyed SWWF too..

I first bought the SWWF by mistake as I wanted a program then thought I'd been ripped off by someone trying to do their own match day magazine. After I read the first few pages I couldn't stop laughing and told anyone who would listen about the SWWF magazine. I bought loads of them after that, great memories, so it's sad to hear that someone who contributed so much to the magazine has passed away, R.I.P. Steve and condolences to friends and family.

RIP Steve. Never knew the guy and can only echo the comments of other readers.

I know he didn't start SWWF, but he can take a lot of credit (and obviously you Tanga) for a mag whose direct descendants include this site, Cod Almighty, DN35, the Cod Pod, It's a Grim Exile, and whose extended family includes the Trust, Operation Promotion, Operation Mariachi, the Grimsby Drummer, rolling down terraces in rubbish bins, This Town Knows, Wigs at Woking, inflatables at Barnet, FISH, and middle aged blokes having a laugh and making prats of themselves all around the country   Fans doing it for themselves owe a debt to SP.

I loved SWWF when he edited it, always a fun read.

"The only problem with supporting Town is having to watch them play" and similar articles raised plenty of laughs.

Sad news, RIP. Condolences to Futchfan.

Sad news to hear of a Mariner passing.

SWWF wasn't the only publication that he wrote for, here is an article in the Independent about Bonetti that he also contributed to.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/bonetti-discovers-paradise-after-juventus-1523732.html

Very sad, RIP Steve

Some of the SWWF content was simply brilliant,

Two items spring straight to mind;

The Hull speak dictionary, British Erm Sters, Herlderness Rerd, and of course the head of the Catholic Church The Perp, etc.

And the poignant bit comparing following Town to doing hard drugs

“ I do Town, but I could give it up anytime” etc. (when of course we can’t because we’re all addicts)

Excellent stuff  

Sad news indeed... I submitted several articles to SWWF , and still have lots of them along with old programmes...  RIP Steve... a true gent...  UTM  !!!

I can only echo what others have said Steve Plowes was a very funny man in word I didn`t know him other than to say hello to when buying my SWWF. One thing that did stick out  but pretty sure he was parked near us one game away at Leicester City when they played at Filbert St.We arrived about the same time which was quite near to kick off and we parked near an hospital as we got to the away end a large scuffle was developing at the turnstiles and irate Leicester fans not happy at having come off 2nd best where looking for Town stragglers. We got through unscathed but after the game they had gathered in big numbers with revenge in mind and it seemed quite a few other Town fans had parked in the same area as us.Running battles ensued and he along with everyone else got caught up in the melee and he made several references to this incident in SWWF his night of terror at the hands of the baby squad and his account was hilarious.I also remember him lamenting the Pontoon`s last stand and advising people to drink it in one last time before it went all seater.Bloody right Steve thanks for the words you made a lot of people smile with your humour.WE ONLY SING WHEN WERE FISHING

I travelled with him for that Leicester games, and did to many games from our North Lancashire homes.

My first post for years, I've watched The Fishy as a guest over the years but decided not get sucked into posting - it can be emotional and time-consuming.

Steve's death has prompted me to post again. We tore up the motorways together to Town games in the early 90s, home and away, in my old Peugeot diesel (see SWWF "Percy the Peugeot goes to Swansea" and other tales), we certainly would be breaching emission regs now...Steve described it once in SWWF as a "mobile waste disposal unit...the windscreen a vast insect graveyard". His writing was superb and beautifully crafted, mine was laboured in comparison. When selling SWWF outside Blundell Park, for some reason he always gave me the Harrington Street Osmond Corner, assuming at 6.2 I could handle the visiting fans. On a rare Imperial Avenue pitch on Boxing Day I sold a copy to the Rt Hon Norman Lamont.

We debated Town, music, life and everything in the car journeys. I suspect he enjoyed a toy boy / older woman episode in his youth because Maggie May used to send him a bit emotional. He preferred Dylan, I preferred Cohen and Punk on the way to the game - get your depression and anger in before the game...except we were actually a really good football team so there was nothing too much to get depressed or angry about. I lost touch when I moved to Limerick in 98, a few months after the double Wembley wins.

I'm not sure whether his passing is after a long illness, I haven't seen him at any game since I returned in 2003 although Town have had to share my attention with the egg-chasers of Leicester (attempted brain-washing by Munster fans in Limerick), so I've only been to circa half a dozen games a season on average.

RIP Steve - you were a highly-entertaining sojourn in my life with mostly good times for the Mariners - don't know what you'd make of the current fiasco but it would be worth reading that is for sure.