Enigma Or As Benny Hill Once Said, the Intangerine . That S As Funny As This Article Gets

Enigma Enigma or as Benny Hill once said, “the intangerine”. That’s as funny as this article gets so you’d better turn the page. Every football club has them and the O’s are no exception. They are those footballers who show great potential in the youth team, get offered professional terms, play a handful of games then disappear from league football. Efe Echanomi, Harry Baker, Lock Pires, Brian Saah to name a recent few.

Is it bad luck? The wrong place at the wrong time or do they discover the birds and booze? Maybe they don’t have the dedication? Did they think they knew it all? Some turn to crime and join gangs. The only time I was in a gang the prerequisites were short trousers and a woggle. But that was a different era and I wasn’t 23.

Bad luck? Look at the cutting from October 1968. Steve Bowtell only played eight games in goal for us because he was in the shadow of Ray Goddard who rarely missed a match. Bad luck? When Jimmy Bloomfield left to manage Leicester he wanted Bowtell. The man who replaced him, George Petchey said Bowtell was a valuable member of his team and refused to let him go. But later he let him go, to Margate thus ending a league career. More bad luck?

The Orient website announced the death of Bobby Moss this August after fighting a two-year long battle against pancreatic cancer. Bobby signed for the O’s in July 1968 two days after becoming England’s fastest intermediate half miler at Alexander Palace. One minute 58.3secs was his time. He made his debut at home against Watford in November 1970 scoring our only goal to get us the draw. He kept his place for the next match away to Leicester but we lost 4-0. The well known dancer Peter Shilton was in goal for the Foxes that day. In the summer of the following year manager Bloomfield left to manage them and the arrival of George Petchey meant Bobby did not play another league game for us. Bad luck?

Bobby left in the summer of 1972 to join former manager Dick Graham at Colchester and took five games to find the net. Graham resigned in October. Bad Luck? New manager Jim Smith didn’t play him much and his contract was cancelled early in 1973 so after 17 games and three goals he moved to Dover. He later played for Barnet and Wimbledon but it is at Wealdstone where he seems to be most fondly remembered. He won their supporters based Jock Law Trophy for 75/76. He finished his career at Chelmsford City (1980/5).

So what was Bobby’s story, why didn’t he play more league games, was it all down to bad luck, the wrong place at the wrong time? Did you play with him? Are you Brisley T, Fairbrother B or Bowtell S that you can tell us. Or for that matter anyone in the cutting. For the record, appearances for those in the cutting were: Bailey, Coventry, Manning and Cook 0, Bowtell 8, Arber 34, Moss 2(3), Brisley 149(10), Fairbrother 193(18), Rofe 188(1), Archell 7(2). NB Mickey Cook went on to play a record 614 appearances and scored 21 goals for Colchester, the only team he ever played for in a career from 1969 to 1984.

For more on Bobby search Google for “Bobby Moss Leyton Orient Footballer”. Send me any pictures/cuttings that are not on the website. Rupert