Alan Beaton
Met Alan Beaton today and had a long chat about when he played for us. I would have seen him play many times but it's so long ago I can't remember if he was any good . Played 100 times for us and had to retire due to getting ill with meningitis . Anybody got a better memory than me ,Was he any good?
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I remember he spelt it Beeton.
And he had a great nickname - 'Easily'
Didn't we sell him to Liverpool for £10million?
I remember the meningitis!!! Can't remember him being very good? Anyone remember when he got taken out at colchester and the 22man plus both benches brawl that followed? Great times
Think we had to call off a pre season tour of Ireland when he got meningitis. My friend predictably nicknamed him "Cecil". Not a brilliant player I recall tbh Hope he's in good health now.
Very much the highlight of that game, one of the worst I've ever watched I think
He had a trial at Fenerbache I seem to recall. He wasn't the best player we've ever had to be honest......
Let's make it our mission to find highlights of the game!!
I have a VHS somewhere of that season but nowt to play it on.
Surely that's just utter myth!
Same as.... is that the mission impossible video?
Could be, I think you’re right. I’ve got a stack of various tapes before they switched to DVD. I can recall phoning the club almost daily in the postseason until they had them in at which point I’d cycle down furiously on my bike to grab them.
The last one I bought was the Taylor Made DVD but it remains sealed to this day!
It’s a little known fact that massive Alan fans, The The, paid tribute to the left-back in their single, The Beat(en) Generation.
Sadly a typesetting error meant that Alan failed to get the recognition he deserved.
Alan's finest moment was coming off the bench at Maine Road to cool down Sean Devine's red hot boots after scoring our second.
(from 0:36)
So many things stand out in that clip
Have you ever seen a ball spin so wildly then for our first goal at Maine Road?
What a superb first time strike from Devine.
What is the ref doing when Devine runs off to celebrate?
But then gets out of the way and lets Beeton run on the pitch and do the feet cooling down thing!?
My mate and I had/have a bet ongoing about Alan Beeton. He rated him highly and so the bet was that he would play for England under 21s. Of course, he never fulfilled that level but in those days, you could select two overage players to the under 21s and so my mate is still refusing to payout to this day on the basis that he could still technically be called up even though he would be in his 40s now!!
Me and my mates went to Ireland for the pre-season tour that was cancelled the day before we flew out due to Al getting meningitis. We had a fantastic time in Temple Bar even offering up a toast to the stricken star for giving us more drinking time.
Surely even in that ludicrous premise, Beeton retiring wins you the bet?
Remember the hype round martin Martin Lee aswell?
Also Mo Harkin.... I had big Hope's for that lad !
Oh yeah Mo!!! I had forgotten about him... didn't he play a few under 21 level international's so he got really hyped up?
Ben Townsend!!
Mo Harkin was big news at the time. Especially as he was breaking through when i was still at school.
I seem to remember one particularly self indulgent game v Basingstoke and fading away.
Slightly later but I remember there being big hype around Stuart Roberts a winger we signed from Swansea around 2001? My first memory of him is Hayes away in the FA Cup when we won 4-3.
I remember the hat trick he got when we won 5-0 away at Northampton!!! And then Tony Adams happened.....
Alan Beeton was on average player in a good side, I don't recall dreading his name on the team sheet. His penalty at Wimbledon showed a level of maturity. I think he played against Liverpool and didn't get humiliated. I met him a few times and he was a nice guy.
I think you’re thinking of a different player (Ben Townsend, perhaps?)
Yeah, because he was really thriving under the pastoral care and management of Lawrie Sanchez wasn't he?
We ruined that young man's career, unfortunately
Still one of my favourite moments. Watch the young city fan behind the goal celebrating our 1st goal. He calmed down when the crowd around him pointed out who had scored.
You're a bit mixed up there.
Malone. You are correct.