AN amazing one-day exhibition featuring more than 855 items of Tavistock Football Club memorabilia has paved the way to create a major archive on the web.
The exhibition, held at the Red and Black Social Club at Langsford Park, featured items depicting the Lambs dating from 1892 to the 90?s.
?There were old programmes, documents, photographs, medals and trophies,? said club chairman and instigator of the event, Robin Fenner.
?It was wonderful. Many items were loaned by past players. But there is still a lot of material out there. We have just scratched the surface.?
Robin had found the original document for the purchase of Langsford Park back in 1948 when it was transferred by three members of the Toop family to Bert Langsford. He then gave the ground to the club. Prior to that matches had been played at various other pitches.
The club?s present is built on a proud past which Robin is keen to record for posterity.
All the results of the Bedford Cup and the participation of the team in every game played in the South West League have been researched.
?We have also recorded all the players that went on to professional careers,? said Robin.
The club?s most famous export was Mike Trebilcock who now lives in Australia. Transferred from Gunnislake and Tavistock to Plymouth Argyle he was then sold on to Everton for £26,000.
?In the 1966 FA cup final at Wembley he scored two out of the three goals in Everton?s 3-2 win against Sheffield Wednesday,? said Robin.
Another famous Tavistock player was Peter Langman who visited the exhibition. Peter, who lives in Calstock, transferred from the club to Plymouth Argyle.
Billy Fellowes started his football playing in Dolvin Road School. He played for Tavistock, then Plymouth Argyle in 1929. He transferred to Leighton Orient and then, in the mid-1930?s, to Luton Town on a £1,000 transfer fee where he became captain.
Wanting to be nearer home Billy came back to play for Exeter for the 1938/39 season. He finished his career playing for Tavistock as well as being the team?s assistant manager.
While the exhibition allowed both public and participants to revel in a day of nostalgia Robin is determined the legacy of players and their triumphs will be celebrated and accessed via the permanence of a website.
?It was the first event of its kind for a non-league club in Devon and Cornwall,? he said.
?We are striving to form a major football archive based primarily on Tavistock Football Club.?
To this end he is spear-heading a search for people involved in the club back in the 40?s and 50?s.
?They hold the key to so much history. We need to interview and tape their memories of football history in the last half-century or more ago.?
Prior to living memory Robin?s research has to rely on newspaper coverage and old programmes to piece the story together.
?Matches played were recorded in the local press and these reports are readily available. There were also pictures printed with the reports.?
Robin likes to get hold of original photographs because of their clarity which helps in trying to identify individual players in action. For this he relies heavily on people remembering the particular teams.
?When people start to realise the wealth of material we have already managed to put together they will be amazed. Once that material is on the website they will see their parents, grandparents and great grandparents recorded for posterity in both image and print.?
Helping with the website is Chris Sanders, whose father, as well as himself, played for the club.
?He is the key man in designing the site. Within the next 12 months we will have a comprehensive site of up-to-the-minute football with the archive in its embryonic stage.
?It has always been a dream of mine that Tavistock itself has as much material on line as is possible.?
Robin believes the internet is the future shop window to the world which will bolster the local economy and encourage people to visit.
For his part he is determined to bring the proud story of the Lambs to as wide a local and global audience as possible.