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Terry Morris’ Memories

Terry joined Margate as a player in 1966 before later becoming player-manager of the reserves, trainer / coach of the first team and eventually manager of Margate and Thanet United…

Terry Morris Team photo

What is your full name and date and place of birth ?
Terry Morris, 8th March 1942, Woodford, Essex.

What is your marital Status?
Divorced.

Do you have children ?
No.

Did / do any of your family play football ?
Yes, my dad played.

Where do you live now ?
Margate.

What is your occupation now ?
Retired.

What was your occupation during your time with Margate ?
I worked for Pearl Assurance until 1998.

How did you come to join Margate ?
I moved down in 1966 to buy a house and an ex-manager of mine – a guy named Arthur Banner who’d been in charge at Ilford when I was there – phoned Almer Hall as an introduction. I then turned up for training and it went from there.

What do you remember about your Margate debut ?
It was a long time ago but I remember Peter Donnelly getting told off by Almer Hall for not helping trainer Bob Wainwright to carry the kit. I was doing it instead but, to be fair, Pete didn’t know that he was sub and I was playing. The game was away to Gloucester City.

What were the highlights of your Margate career ?
Being appointed manager in 1979 and also being trainer when my boyhood team Spurs came to play us in the FA Cup in 1973.

What were the highlights of your football career ?
Winning county honours at Schoolboy level and Under-17 level. Playing for West Ham’s ‘A’ team in the late 1950’s in games at Charlton, Southend and Watford.

Who were the best players you played with at Margate ?
Phil Amato and Dennis Randall.

Who was / were your best friend(s) during your time with Margate ?
Peter Donnelly.

Do you still keep in contact with any of your old Margate team-mates ?
Yes.

What was the best stadium you played in during your entire career ?
Roots Hall, Southend.

Which ground(s) did you most enjoy playing at during your time at Margate ?
Chelmsford.

And which ground(s) did you least like ?
Basingstoke, Dartford and Tonbridge.

Who was the best manager you played under (and at which club) ?
Jesse Pye at Wisbech Town.

Who was the biggest influence on your football career ?
Pierre Smirnoff (!) and Danny Blanchflower.

What was your favourite / best Margate goal ?
Every goal a striker scores is his best goal because he is doing his job.

Do you keep an eye on Margate’s progress / results and if so what do you think ?
Yes I do. I wish they were consistent – this year they started the season well but faded somewhat. I would love to see Margate in the Conference.

Did you have a nickname during your career / time at Margate ?
No.

What honours did you win during your career ?
United Counties League (with Wisbech Town), Essex Thameside Cup (with Ilford) and Kent Junior Cup as player-manager of Margate Reserves.

Do you ever watch Margate now or, if not, when was the last time you saw them ?
Last game I saw before Legends Day (April 2014) was the first game back at Hartsdown Park in 2005.

Who were the real characters at Margate during your time with the club ?
Phil Amato, Tommy Marshall and Laurie Thomson.

Can you recall any funny moments from your time at Margate ?
Too numerous to relate.

Do you have any regrets about your football career ?
Yes, that I wish I had been a better player and played in the Football League.