GoS-DB Players

Greens on Screen started its life in 1999 before many of the football sites that we are familiar with today, including Plymouth Argyle's own official site. Greens on Screen is dedicated to the sights, sounds and history of Plymouth Argyle Football club. It is owned and run by the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive, a charity dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and display of the heritage of our great football club.

The site owes its existence to Steve Dean.Without Steve's dedication and commitment for over 25 years, GoS would not exist and be the valued and loved resource for all football fans that it is today. The site is truly the envy of many clubs, and we owe a huge debt to Steve for his tireless work, and continued support behind the scenes.

Greens on Screen's first page was published in January 1999. Its early purpose was to bring Plymouth Argyle a little closer to those unable to see their team, and whilst it has changed a great deal over the years, its core themes - sights and sounds for Westcountry exiles - still stand. The site was very lucky to take on the content of Trevor Scallan's Semper Viridis in the summer of 2007, and in 2009 launched GoS-DB, a wealth of facts and figures from PAFC's history. A year later, we embarked on a complete history of Argyle, with much-valued contributions from chapter authors. Greens on Screen was taken over by its new custodians, The Argyle Archive, in 2024.

Greens on Screen is an amateur website and proud of it. It is run by a team of volunteers from the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive (Argyle Archive). Without the hard work and much-valued contributions of these volunteers, running the site would not be possible. Greens on Screen is self-taught and as a result, a little bit quirky.

Greens on Screen remains advertisement free, which means we are grateful for the generous support of our donors and the work of our volunteers to help keep it free of promotions. If you would like to support the work of Greens on Screen, please consider donating to the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.

GoS's sole aim is to be a service to fellow supporters, and we look forward to continuing to celebrate Argyle's history for many years to come.

Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.
April 2024

Thanks to Dave Rowntree for many of the player images after 1984.

Can you help? This page is the result of the best endeavours of all concerned. If you spot a mistake or know of facts to add, or have a better photo, please get in touch using 'Contact Us' (top, right).

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GARRY NELSON

Born: 16 January 1961

Came from: Swindon Town Went to: Brighton & Hove Albion

First game: 17 August 1985 Last game: 09 May 1987

Appearances: 88 (85/3) Goals: 22

Braintree-born Nelson was a popular forward or winger wherever he went in a career that spanned almost 650 league games. He started locally with Southend United in 1979, spending four years at Roots Hall before moving to Swindon Town in 1983. Joining Argyle in July 1985 for £15,000, he made a significant impact in a two-year spell, especially in Dave Smith's promotion season, and became a firm fans' favourite. So there was great disappointment when he requested a transfer at the end of his second season, which resulted in a move to Brighton where he enjoyed further success over the following four years. A brief loan spell at Notts County followed in 1990 before a permanent switch to Charlton Athletic, where he scored 37 times in 185 appearances over five years. Nelson returned to Devon in 1996 to complete his career with Torquay United, scoring 8 times in 36 games.

He gained further prominence after his playing career was over through his sports writing with his two books, Left Foot Forward and Left Foot in the Grave, which chronicled seasons with Charlton and Torquay respectively. Both books were best sellers and short-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. He also worked as the Commercial Executive of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) and played regularly for Old Southendians and Charlton Athletic's veterans side. Nelson was voted into Plymouth Argyle's Team of the Century during its Centenary Season.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.

APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]

The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.

I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.

The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.