former bees

[roddy]

being relatively new to this site I wonder how many remember Jimmy Gitsham who played some games in the 1961 ?championship team. I recall his career was ruined by supporters. However I have met threepeople lately who say that he was the best full back they ever played with.

[Santa Barbara Bee]

I remember Jimmy very well. He played left back, opposite Kenny Coote. He was a regular until the 1962-3 Div. 4 Championship season when Malcolm McDonald brought in Tom Anthony. Jimmy played well every time I saw him -- committed, stylish, with a bit of pace, linking well with Matt Crowe and George MacLeod on the left. I don't remember him getting a lot of stick from the crowd but I was only 9 at the time and was largely oblivious to the whingers.

[moribee]

Yo I remeber him,I was only a kid and thought he had an unusual face,I also remember he broke his arm during a game.......but then my memory fades into the red and white mists of time

[NW USA Bee]

I also remember Jimmy well and he did not get stick from the crowd, in fact was very popular. It was actually his collar bone he broke at home on a Tuesday night was at the game but can't remember who we played

[mhead bee]

Funnily enough jimmy gitcham is the reason I support brentford. My dad as a kid, did what a lot of kids did and supported several big london sides in the first division and went to GP, spurs and chelsea in rotation.
My dad was mates with jimmy and they formed a company together in the seventies and jimmy was one year offered cheap season tickets as an ex player. He knew my dad used to follow brentford so gave them to him, so at the tender age of 5-6 years I became a season ticket holder and have remained a supporter ever since, although my dad packed in about 83 when we went abroad and only makes a couple of games a season now. He convinced himself that they will never win anything or become anything so he could no longer take the awful disappointments year after year and the nagging from er indoors every saturday that "bloody brentford" is more important ect ect!!
We lived abroad for 3 years and when we came back it took me a while to rediscover the passion, I still supported them but it took 3-4 years to really get hooked again with a new looking ground and different players in 1986. By 1990 I was as passionate as before although I still played on saturdays, but my dad has never recaptured the enthusiasm and although he follows the scores and phones me for a match report, he really has had the love squashed out of him from years of crap!!

[Macclesfield Bee]

I remember Jimmy Gitsham in a tremendous 3rd round FA Cup match at Leyton Orient in 1962. I think he was playing with his arm
plastered due to the break.

The Bees were in the 4th Div and the O's were near the top of the 2nd. After going one up (Tommy Higginson), Orient equalised and got a last minute winner due to a poor pass back to Cakebread by Gitsham. I always remember this match as one of the best defensive team performances I have ever seen.

By the way, according to '100 Years of Brentford' Gitsham was only a part-timer working for an engineering firm during the day.

[Macclesfield Bee]

While we are on the 60's does anyone know of the wherabouts of Ian Dargie? I got to know Ian well after he gave up professional football and even had the odd game playing alongside him but lost touch quite a while ago..

[German Bee]

My old football coach was Johnny "spider" Rainford at Hampton Hill celtic.

[pandora]

gerry cakebread's daugther used to live in the same house as me

[Santa Barbara Bee]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Macclesfield Bee:
[B]I remember Jimmy Gitsham in a tremendous 3rd round FA Cup match at Leyton Orient in 1962. I think he was playing with his arm
plastered due to the break.

The Bees were in the 4th Div and the O's were near the top of the 2nd. After going one up (Tommy Higginson), Orient equalised and got a last minute winner due to a poor pass back to Cakebread by Gitsham. I always remember this match as one of the best defensive team performances I have ever seen.

Actually, I think we were still in the third division when we played Orient in the cup, as it would have been January, 1961. We were relegated at the end of the season. The game at Orient was a replay after we drew at home. The latter was my first ever visit to GP and I remember it (admittedly from my pint-sized view through the Braemar paddock railings) as if it were yesterday.

[markbfc]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Macclesfield Bee:
While we are on the 60's does anyone know of the wherabouts of Ian Dargie? I got to know Ian well after he gave up professional football and even had the odd game playing alongside him but lost touch quite a while ago..</font>

I'm sure i have his telephone number somewhere in the course of my research on Bees players, send me a mail to remind me and i'll try and dig it out...

BTW, great thread keep posting!!!

[Jimbee]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by German Bee:
My old football coach was Johnny "spider" Rainford at Hampton Hill celtic.</font>

John Rainford is a regular at the White Hart in Whitton. Not sure how old he is now but I'd guess late 70's having seen him recently.

[orangegav]

john rainford?? dont know who is is.. but next time im in there and had a few.. im sure ill seek him out!!!!

[Jimbee]

Where in Whitton do you live Orangegav?

[mhead bee]

Paul Walker was last seen in the stands scouting for slough town.
Loads of my mates knew him when he first started playing and they used to see him having a couple of pints in the pub in cippenham before travelling to the ground for the game. He thought being the england youth captain he was good enough to abuse his body but unfortunately he got fat and packed in late teens!!

Silly boy!

[Wise old Bee]

Paul Walker was kicking his heels behind the scenes at GP until Fred Callaghan took over and gave him a chance in the first team. For a while he was doing really well, remember his goal at Walsall which was shown on TV? If every story I've heard of him being seen in this or that pub were true he could have drunk for Britain. Sadly, another story of unfulfilled promise at GP to go with Nigel Smith, Jim McNichol etc.

[roddy]

The reason that I raise this subject was that I was talking recently to the Steward of a local club(name of Chris Iffe) who was talking I believe about playing as a schoolboy at QPR who mentioned Jimmy Gitsham a former work colleague (Ian Dyke) also remembers Jimmy when they played together in Brentford Juniors. At time apparently subsequent revered names such as Peter Gelson could not get into the team.
I am certain Jimmy was given stick by the crowd as he was prone to making mistakes such as the back pass previously mentioned. This was through lack of confidence as much as anything. The game in question was I am sure when we were in Division 4 as that was the first year I started going to Griffin Park. The first game I went to was in the London Charity Cup against Wealdstone who were the my favorite Amateur side and I recall John Rainford scoring I believe two goals. It was that game that began my support of Brentford as we had Just bought Billy McAdams and the then Chairman Jack Dunnett was about to bring in more big names. IE John Dick Mike Block Johnny Brooks and subsequently Mel Scott. That is enough reminiscing but I could go on.

[Santa Barbara Bee]

You're right, Roddy. That would be the 1962-63 season when we won the Div. 4 championship. Brooks and Block were already Bees before that season: McAdams, Dick, Matt Crowe and Mel Scott were brought in, with Peter Gelson as a reserve. Gitsham was a regular at the beginning of the season but broke his collarbone and never really made it back. I'm pretty sure he didn't get a lot of stick from the crowd tho': certainly no more than Tom Higginson who, how should I put it, was a bit unpredictable at times. I always felt they were greeted with a lot of affection from the fans.

[German Bee]

Johnny Rainford was a Legend in the fiftys scored loads of goals for us.
I wanted to find something on the Internet to back me up but I can´t.
Does anybody else now where I can dig up some info on the great man.

[Jimbee]

Your wish is my command:

Rainford, John W., born London 11.12.1930

C.Palace March 1949-May 1953 Pl 64 Gls 8
Cardiff May 1953-October 1953 Pl 3 Gls 1
Brentford October 1953-1961 Pl 299 Gls 42

Anyone seen me anorak?

http://gpgrapevine.co.uk/ubb/rolleyes.gif

[This message has been edited by Jimbee (edited 17 January 2001).]