MAURICE TADMAN

Born: 28 June 1921

Came from: Charlton Athletic   Went to: Belfast Distillery

First game: 23 August 1947   Last game: 12 February 1955

Appearances: 253 (253/0)   Goals: 112

Tadman, born in Rainham, Essex in June 1921, began his career at Bexleyheath and Welling FC and after showing a keen eye for goal, he joined his elder brother, George, at Charlton Athletic in June 1938. With the outbreak of World War II, his career was put on hold somewhat, but after the cessation of hostilities, he resumed his spell at The Valley. Despite being a prolific scorer in the reserves, scoring 38 goals in a season in the London Combination League, he was restricted to just three first-team appearances for the Addicks. In August 1947, Argyle paid £4,000 for his services and despite protracted negotiations due to some concern over potential accommodation, he signed for the Pilgrims.

The six-foot tall centre-forward made his debut in the opening day 6-1 defeat at Newcastle, scoring his first goal for Argyle while also suffering an injury, fracturing a small bone in his wrist. In 20 league and cup appearances during the 1947-48 season, Tadman found the net 7 times. The following campaign saw him begin to find his feet in the Westcountry, finishing as top scorer with 15 goals, Argyle narrowly avoiding relegation from Division Two. There was no such escape for the Pilgrims the following season as they returned to Division Three South with Tadman finding the net nine times in 31 matches.

Despite his height, it was well known that he preferred the ball at his feet and Argyle's relegation seemed to be the catalyst to unlock his potential. In 1950-51 he finished as top scorer with 26 goals which included an astonishing run of 17 goals in eight games. He scored four against Aldershot and Brighton along with a hat-trick against Gainsborough Trinity in the FA Cup. 27 goals followed in 1951-52 as the free-scoring Pilgrims romped to the league title and he finished at the summit of the goalscoring charts for the second season in succession.

Argyle missed out on promotion to Division One at the end of the following season, finishing a very creditable fourth, but Tadman's good form continued as he bagged 15 goals to finish as leading scorer once more. After the successes of the previous two seasons, however, Jimmy Rae's side struggled to adapt to life in Division Two and although Tadman continued to find the net, the Pilgrims found themselves in the lower reaches of the league table. During the 1954-55 season, he was restricted to just seven appearances with Langman and Davis often preferred, his final appearance for Argyle coming on February 12th at home to Blackburn Rovers in a 2-0 defeat.

In July 1955, Tadman left Argyle for Belfast Distillery, boasting a proud record of having finished as top goalscorer in five of his seven seasons at Home Park and a total of 112 goals in 253 league and cup appearances. He took on the role of player-manager for his new club and scored 41 goals during his first season in Northern Ireland. In 1957-58, they won the Ulster Cup and in the following December, Tadman retired from football, returning to his native Essex where he worked as a management accountant until 1986. He passed away in November 1994, aged 73.