GEOFF CRUDGINGTON

Born: 14 February 1952

Came from: Swansea City   Went to: Retired

First game: 06 October 1979   Last game: 20 December 1987

Appearances: 385 (385/0)   Goals: 0

Born in Wolverhampton on St Valentine's Day 1952, Crudgington began his career at his hometown club, having been spotted in his teens by Wolves' legend and Argyle war-time guest player, Joe Gardiner. Crudgington's time in the Molyneux youth set-up included three England schoolboy caps and a Wolves 'A' team game against a Coventry City side that included future Home Park team-mate Colin Randell.

Unable to push for a first team place with Wolves, Crudgington moved to Aston Villa but made just four league appearances in two years and also had loan spells with Barnsley, Bradford City, Preston North End and Toronto Metros in the North American Soccer League before he was sold to Crewe Alexandra. He spent six years and 250 league games with the Cheshire club before moving on to Swansea City, for whom he played 52 times. When Argyle sold Martin Hodge, Crudgington was seen as the experienced goalkeeper that the Pilgrims desperately needed. He was a solid, all-round keeper and a vital part of the 1984 team that reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, ironically for Geoff, at Villa Park, and was also part of Dave Smith's 1985-86 promotion-winning side.

A great display of goalkeeping or defending is often referred to as 'parking the bus' (in front of the goal), but Crudgington once went one better and surprised his team-mates by driving the team coach half way home from an away game, having obtained the appropriate licence in his time at Crewe. In total, he made nearly 400 appearances for the Pilgrims and was only really challenged for the number one jersey by Steve Cherry during Cherry's first spell at Home Park in 1986-87, when both played 21 games apiece. Popular with team-mates and fans alike, he hung up his professional gloves in 1989 and then played briefly for local side Millbrook.

Although his playing days were over, Crudgington was deservedly awarded a testimonial game on the evening of 26th January 1990 when Argyle lined up against a full-strength Tottenham Hotspur side, including Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker - the date was free because both clubs had been knocked out in the third round of the FA Cup. 'Crudgie' then spent three years as part of the club's backroom staff but left Home Park under David Kemp, shortly after Ken Brown's tenure as manager had ended. For the following eight years he combined occasional coaching for the FA and the Devon FA with a job in a local electrical shop - ironically it was Beacon Electrical, the club's former shirt sponsor who at one stage in his career would have been emblazoned across the jersey he wore each week.

Crudgington returned to Home Park in 1999 as the youth and reserve team coach, and went on to be the club's Football in the Community Officer before, for many years, goalkeeping coach, warming up the 'keepers on match days. Geoff finally ended his time at Home Park a few weeks short of this 59th birthday, a casualty of the club's 2010-11 financial crisis. Thus ended nearly a quarter of a century's service to the club.

Unable to resist straying too far from the game, he again made use of his Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence: as well as ferrying children and students, he has driven the team coach for Torquay United and also Plymouth Albion RFC on match-days.