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| The history of the club |
By: Ashley Pilbrow 06/11/04
Grecian 2000 FC were formed in October 1999 by Toni Pilbrow and Phil Ellis, who agreed to be joint managers. Grecian 2000 was affiliated to the Devon FA and registered to play in the Tuesday 5 a-side league at Wonford Sports Centre, Exeter.
To begin with, we were just small band of friends and acquaintances. Few records, and indeed players, remain from the early days but as the team evolved, so did the record keeping and by 2002, accurate records of all games were being recorded. There are still 4 players from the original squad who still regularly appear for the Grecians. They are Mark Dinnin, Mark 'Jack' Russell, Toni Pilbrow and me, his son, Ashley Pilbrow.
Our very first game was always going to be a difficult affair. Most of the players had never met, let alone played together and we were up against some tough opponents, both inside and outside of the pitch we later affectionately named, "The Cage". I was forced to watch from the sidelines as my wrist was still in plaster after an accident involving me, 10 pints of lager, a moped and a parked car. The boys battled hard and gave their all but the 6-3 defeat we suffered was probably fair.
The very next week our team personnel had changed significantly, something that the club soon learned it would have to get used to. Toni 'The Cat' Pilbrow, who had played well in goal during the first game, was unavailable and 'Fit' Phil Ellis stepped into the void. I was available for selection but only as an outfield player and was left out of the starting line up. The game started badly and got worse. There was no defence, no midfield, no attack - it was like watching Exeter City. We conceded goal after goal as the opponents took advantage of our total ineptitude at the back. Phil was left helpless time and again and by half time, the score was 9 - 0. The player's heads were down and 'Fit' was begging me to come on in goal. I refused, came on in defence and helped sure up the leaky back line. A 10 - 1 defeat was the final result and everyone was feeling pretty bad.
So, not a great start I grant you but that's how it all began. We survived heckling crowds, violent players and sandy cuts and watched players come and go. Then one Saturday night in February 2000 I bumped into an old mate, Paul Hankin. Nicknamed 'Pissed Paul', it’ll come as no surprise that he likes a drink or two. Despite that, in our drunken haze we swapped phone numbers and agreed that Paul and his friend Chris Powell would come and play for us. They had played a few games when they suggested we start playing in the indoor Sunday league as well. We did exactly that and have been playing two nights a week ever since (thanks Paul and Chris!).
After playing in the indoor league and taking some real abuse from the yokels, we called time on our stint in the Sunday league at Wonford on 21st October 2001 after a particularly unpleasant match. In search of a more civilised environment, we joined the Riverside Leisure Centre Sunday league, competing in our inaugural game on 11th November 2001. We later joined the Tuesday league at the Riverside, playing our first Tuesday game there on 19th February 2002.
So after spending more than 2 years at Wonford Sports Centre, the Grecians had left for pastures new. 2 trophies came our way during our time there, when we finished runners-up in the cup and when we were awarded the fair play cup 2000 (no, really). Management of the club changed hands in the latter stages of our time at Wonford - Phil had gradually drifted away from the management side of things and Toni was forced to step down after an unfortunate turn of affairs caused a change in his personal circumstances. I took the reins in September 2001 and still hold that post.
Our time at the Riverside began well as we won our opening six games. The huge goals and small penalty areas were a shock but we ajusted quickly and soon made our mark. We won the Sunday league second division championship in our first season, with 49 points from 18 games. In the Tuesday league, we gained promotion to the first division in our first full season, finishing as runners up with 54 points from 26 games.
Ever since those glory days, we've been battling it out with big boys in the top flight. No more trophies and no more titles but some great games and great players.
Well that's it. Why not check out the stats section and see in more detail how we've been faired over the years.
By: Ashley Pilbrow 06/11/04
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