JOHN LEIPER

Born: 26 June 1938

Came from: Aberdeen East End   Went to: Chelmsford City

First game: 15 April 1961   Last game: 27 March 1967

Appearances: 82 (82/0)   Goals: 0

Aberdeen-born Leiper was a goalkeeper signed by Argyle from the junior side Aberdeen East End, where he had played from 1957. He was quickly spotted by fellow Aberdonian and then Argyle first-team player Jimmy Gauld, who recommended both Leiper and Alex Garden to the club.

Reputedly, he suffered badly with pre-match nerves. He initially arrived at Home Park on trial in March 1958, during Jack Rowley's tenure, and played in a South Western League match on a Monday evening before signing the following month. Having established himself in the reserve side, he made his first-team debut in the summer of 1961 under the joint stewardship of Neil Dougall and George Taylor. He would spend almost a decade at Home Park, with seven seasons spent in and around the first team, although primarily as a back-up goalkeeper.

He did become first choice during the 1965-66 campaign, but found himself at the centre of an extraordinary impasse when his omission by Malcolm Allison over Easter 1965 was overruled by the board. Leiper was selected ahead of Noel Dwyer, but the episode ultimately prompted Allison's resignation. Dwyer returned to the side for the following match, but it was not enough to repair the relationship between Allison and the board, and the manager departed the club.

Leiper remained and continued to feature under Derek Ufton. In total, he made 82 appearances for Argyle across seven seasons. In April 1965, during a South Western League match for the reserves against Truro City, he was given the opportunity to take a penalty with Argyle already leading 8-0, but shot 'shockingly wide', as contemporary reports described it. It may have started something, however, as five days later another Argyle goalkeeper, Frank Shipley, found the net from the penalty spot in the reserves' next home fixture.

He left Argyle at the end of the 1966-67 season and joined Southern League side Chelmsford City, helping the club win the championship in his first season. He remained there for three seasons until 1969-70.

Despite his Aberdeen roots, it was Plymouth to which he returned after his playing career came to an end. He later turned out locally for Plymouth City in the Western League before joining Bodmin Town in the South Western League.

Having retired from football by the mid-1970s, he went to university and became a probation officer. He remained in his adopted city, became a season-ticket holder at Home Park and, as an octogenarian, has been a matchday guest of Forever Green while continuing to enjoy life in Devon.