The Chase

Just had a question on The Chase asking what did Gary Croft wear in a game for Ipswich Town in 2000, options were, an electronic tag, a hearing aid or sunglasses. The answer was the electronic tag, oh dear what had he been up to?

two charges of driving while disqualified, two of perverting the course of justice and driving without insurance.

Driving offences wasn't it.. remember him playing against us at Ipswich wearing it.. he got a bit of stick off the Town fans.

Quoted from TwoLeftFeet

Driving offences wasn't it.. remember him playing against us at Ipswich wearing it.. he got a bit of stick off the Town fans.

“Crofty’s got more points than us”…

Quoted from TwoLeftFeet

Driving offences wasn't it.. remember him playing against us at Ipswich wearing it.. he got a bit of stick off the Town fans.

It was driving offences initially then he tried to get someone else to take the rap if I remember correctly

Quoted from supertown

It was driving offences initially then he tried to get someone else to take the rap if I remember correctly

Nope. It was a driving ban, he decided to ignore it by continuing to drive, so got sent down. Came out early wearing the tag.

With a record like that he could be the next Home Secretary.

The town fans really went to town on him , every time he got the ball all the fans were doing a police siren noise.

You could see in his face it effected him.

All in good fun as he got us £1. 7 million pound not bad for a youth that came for free and returned for free later.

There were a couple of lively characters in the Town squad around that time. Seem to recall Peter Handysides & Tony Gallimore had a few incidents, cant recall what, but there was a different culture back then in football.

I seem to think that Handyside lost his licence after parking his car on a roundabout one night and running off. Not a brilliant effort. I also remember seeing him staggering around outside of JD's when he was in the middle of a long injury lay-off. As with Gallimore, both were really good players, but it makes you wonder how much better they could have been with a bit less of the extra-curricular activities.

Was it for making the back garden of a house down Manchester Street, sound to be as big as People's park?  

I have heard on the grapevine that several inside the club thought Gallimore was the best player at the club when he wasn't drinking. The problem was that he was always drinking.

Another story, maybe apocryphal, is that somebody walked out of BP at the end of the game and walked to the pub only to find Gallimore (who had played 90 minutes) already sat at the bar. I don't recall which pub it was but it was close to the ground!

I have been told by somebody who lived in Humberston that he went for a pint in The Grosvenor immediately after getting back from an evening match, only to find Gallimore already at the bar with a pint. He couldn't work out how Gallimore managed to get there so quickly. It's some years since I heard the tale, but have no reason to doubt the source!

If anyone has read Drinks All Round - Kevin Drinkell’s book, the drinking culture was certainly there with that very successful side. I was somewhat shocked to learn that several of the team ended up out on a session with GET reporters the night before our first game back in Division 2 for years away at Shrewsbury. Maybe I shouldn’t have been shocked…

Quoted from Maringer

I seem to think that Handyside lost his licence after parking his car on a roundabout one night and running off. Not a brilliant effort. I also remember seeing him staggering around outside of JD's when he was in the middle of a long injury lay-off. As with Gallimore, both were really good players, but it makes you wonder how much better they could have been with a bit less of the extra-curricular activities.

It's somewhat funny how players from that eras antics are remembered fondly considering what happened later. I guess if you have some success and play at wembley it's sort of funny to remember but when you got relegated the drunken antics aren't so funny anymore. Remember meeting Gallimore in the pub with my dad, I thought it was really cool when I was like 11/12 years old to meet a town player at the pub but when I remember it now he looked a right state.

Quoted from Heisenberg

Nope. It was a driving ban, he decided to ignore it by continuing to drive, so got sent down. Came out early wearing the tag.

We are both right, but his main sentence was for perverting the course of justice , he tried to get someone else to say it was them driving. They also got convicted

I always thought that stories about Tony Gallonmore were exaggerated. 😊

I can remember one night a long time ago. I had a pool match at the Old Clee Club and when we got there Tommy Widdington, Tony Gallimore and Peter Handyside were there. All had had a skinful but Widdrington was the worst, absolutely hammered. It ended up with them calling a taxi and putting him in it to take him home. At least Widdrington was out injured at the time, unlike Gally and Handyside who had a game a couple of days later.

One of my mates was once drinking whisky with Widdrington in the early hours of a Saturday before a game in the Cleethorpes O'Neills (formerly the Vic). In his defence, he didn't think he was playing that day, but he got called into the squad due to an injury that morning! Long ago enough that I don't recall if he came onto the pitch or was any good, but I remember my friend chuckling about how 'professional' Widdrington had been! Nice chap, apparently.

Quoted from Les Brechin

I can remember one night a long time ago. I had a pool match at the Old Clee Club and when we got there Tommy Widdington, Tony Gallimore and Peter Handyside were there. All had had a skinful but Widdrington was the worst, absolutely hammered. It ended up with them calling a taxi and putting him in it to take him home. At least Widdrington was out injured at the time, unlike Gally and Handyside who had a game a couple of days later.

I used to live a stone's throw from the Old Clee Club Les,

Handyside was always in there and George Higgins never walked in a straight line when leaving to go home.  

Quoted from Maringer

I seem to think that Handyside lost his licence after parking his car on a roundabout one night and running off. Not a brilliant effort. I also remember seeing him staggering around outside of JD's when he was in the middle of a long injury lay-off. As with Gallimore, both were really good players, but it makes you wonder how much better they could have been with a bit less of the extra-curricular activities.

I think Gali would have needed a right foot to be at the next level but both were half decent.

Crofty clearly recovered to have a decent career, I like him as a pundit and I understand he’s a nice bloke too.