MICKY CAVE

Full Name: Michael John Cave

Born: 28 January 1949

Came from: Bournemouth   Went to: Bournemouth

First game: 04 March 1972   Last game: 03 April 1972

Appearances: 8 (8/0)   Goals: 4

Born in Weymouth in Dorset, Cave started his footballing odyssey with his home town team, having begun his youth career with the club. He was with the Terras from 1965 to 1968 and made his debut as a striker while still a teenager. In total, he made 112 appearances and scored 29 goals for the club.

In July 1968, he moved to Torquay United. Although not prolific, he soon settled into the side at Plainmoor and was popular with the fans, scoring a number of memorable goals. In total, he scored 17 goals in 114 league games; when he did score, they tended to be memorable.

In July 1971, he returned to his Dorset roots when the newly renamed AFC Bournemouth paid £15,000 for him in time for the start of the 1971-72 season. The club had previously played as Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic since their election to Division Three South in 1923.

It was from Bournemouth that Cave joined Argyle for a brief spell on loan, after initially struggling to break into the first team at Dean Court. He played eight times for Argyle, scoring four goals, including a brace on his debut in a March 1972 home win over Rotherham United at Home Park.

After his time at Home Park, he played fairly regularly at Dean Court and, between 1971-74, made 99 appearances, scoring 17 goals for the Cherries.

An £18,000 transfer to York City followed in August 1974, where he played for three years and finished with a record not dissimilar to his time at Bournemouth, playing 96 times and scoring 13 goals. His spell at Bootham Crescent included a season-long loan to Los Angeles Skyhawks in the American Soccer League (ASL) for the 1976 summer season, where he scored regularly and played alongside another former Pilgrim, Jimmy Hinch.

After the end of the US soccer season, he returned to AFC Bournemouth for £10,000, where he played for another 18 months. He added a further 42 appearances and three goals in his second spell with the Cherries. In the summer of 1977, he also had a second loan spell Stateside, this time with Seattle Sounders in the North American Soccer League (NASL). He played 22 times and scored 13 goals.

On completion of the season in the US, he was released by AFC Bournemouth before moving permanently to the United States. He signed permanently for the Seattle Sounders and remained with them from 1978 to 1980, playing a further 53 times and scoring 19 goals.

He then briefly returned to the ASL with a spell at the short-lived Cleveland Cobras in early 1980, before moving to Pittsburgh Spirit in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) for the latter stages of the 1979-80 season. In the fast-paced indoor variant of the game, he scored 24 goals in 27 games.

For the 1980-81 season, he played in the MISL with another short-lived team, Hartford Hellions, based in Connecticut. He played 38 times and scored 24 goals.

He then returned to Pittsburgh Spirit and, between 1981 and 1983, made a further 61 appearances and scored 22 goals, also becoming assistant coach after calling time on his playing career at the end of the 1982-83 season.

Cave died in Pittsburgh in November 1984, aged just 35, following a tragic accident. He died at his home in Aleppo, Pennsylvania, after leaving his car running in his garage. The Allegheny County Coroner's Office later ruled that he had died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

At the time of his death, he was assistant coach of the Pittsburgh Spirit of the MISL. The Player of the Season Award at AFC Bournemouth is named in his honour