Ex Shelton Seagull
New member
His 300th game for us on Saturday and up he pops with a 91st minute winner. Typical of the man who has become a true Albion legend. He's not always spectacular (though some of his goals have been) he doesn't do many fancy tricks and flicks, but he gives everything he has when he plays for us.
It's rather worrying to me that he's played 300 games. Doesn't seem that long ago that I first saw him wearing the stripes at Northampton in a 2-1 defeat in a League Cup 1st round match. Back then he was just another non-league hopeful, a new face in a team that had been so poor the following season.
I don't know if I had any expectations about him. I was far more interested in the signing of Stafford Browne, one of the first Uckfield residents to play pro football. Stafford never made the transformation into a pro player but the man who replaced in a 1-0 defeat at Carlisle most certainly has.
300 games and around 40 goals for a grand and a set of kit. Not a bad return really. Wonder whether Stanstead FC still have that kit? He's gone from being a defender in non-league, to a striker in his first season and as a winger in the last few years. It did look like he wason his way out earlier this season, the depths of Leyton seemed to be calling. But Mark McGhee had thrown down a challenge and instead of accepting that his days were over, Harty threw himself back into the team and worked bloody hard to get that place back. I should have asked for TGC to do a thread full of Gary Hart goals but i'll have to describe some of my favourites instead:
- vs Torquay United (2-0 Win) 29/8/1998
First goal as a pro footballer. Got his foot to a rebounded Jeff Minton shot and fired the ball into the net to secure our first win of the 98/99 season. Went on to score the winning goal in our next two fixtures.
- vs Shrewsbury Town (1-0 Win) 13/4/1999
Gets the ball by the halfway line, takes it round 3 defenders and hammers it into the net. One of the best goals we scored during our exile and secures Mickey Adams first win as Albion boss.
- vs Nottingham Forest (2-2 Draw) 24/7/1999
First game at Withdean on a baking hot day in July. The whole town was buzzing, I can still remember seeing the crowds outside the pubs around the station with blue and white everywhere. Quarter of an hour into the game and up pops Hart to head home a Mayo cross for the first Withdean goal.
- vs Mansfield Town (2-0 Win) 31/3/2000
Does a lovely one-two with Zamora and scores with a fine drive. After this result I knew we were going up to Division 2 and that we'd be doing so as champions.
- vs Huddersfield Town (2-1 Win) 13/10/2001
Mickey Adams had left become number 2 at Leicester City. Would the team be able to respond positively in a tough game at Huddersfield. We pissed on them over the 90 minutes and should have thrashed them but Lee Steele contrived to miss his every shot. The result was sealed thanks to a Hart hammer shot that you can see recreated on HTFC-World.com
- vs Tranmere Rovers (1-0 Win) 5/2/2002
Hart scores a goal similar to his strike vs Shrewsbury at Gillingham. Beats a couple of defenders and lumps home a long range thunderbolt to win a crucial game that keeps us in contention at the top of the table.
- vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-1 Win) 8/2/2003
One of his best performances in this game. Tore apart a Wolves side that was promoted to the Premiership at the end of the season. Wolves had pulled back a goal and the nerves were starting to show. Up pops Harty to take a through ball, hold off the defender, beat the goalie and seal the win of the season.
Gary Hart =
It's rather worrying to me that he's played 300 games. Doesn't seem that long ago that I first saw him wearing the stripes at Northampton in a 2-1 defeat in a League Cup 1st round match. Back then he was just another non-league hopeful, a new face in a team that had been so poor the following season.
I don't know if I had any expectations about him. I was far more interested in the signing of Stafford Browne, one of the first Uckfield residents to play pro football. Stafford never made the transformation into a pro player but the man who replaced in a 1-0 defeat at Carlisle most certainly has.
300 games and around 40 goals for a grand and a set of kit. Not a bad return really. Wonder whether Stanstead FC still have that kit? He's gone from being a defender in non-league, to a striker in his first season and as a winger in the last few years. It did look like he wason his way out earlier this season, the depths of Leyton seemed to be calling. But Mark McGhee had thrown down a challenge and instead of accepting that his days were over, Harty threw himself back into the team and worked bloody hard to get that place back. I should have asked for TGC to do a thread full of Gary Hart goals but i'll have to describe some of my favourites instead:
- vs Torquay United (2-0 Win) 29/8/1998
First goal as a pro footballer. Got his foot to a rebounded Jeff Minton shot and fired the ball into the net to secure our first win of the 98/99 season. Went on to score the winning goal in our next two fixtures.
- vs Shrewsbury Town (1-0 Win) 13/4/1999
Gets the ball by the halfway line, takes it round 3 defenders and hammers it into the net. One of the best goals we scored during our exile and secures Mickey Adams first win as Albion boss.
- vs Nottingham Forest (2-2 Draw) 24/7/1999
First game at Withdean on a baking hot day in July. The whole town was buzzing, I can still remember seeing the crowds outside the pubs around the station with blue and white everywhere. Quarter of an hour into the game and up pops Hart to head home a Mayo cross for the first Withdean goal.
- vs Mansfield Town (2-0 Win) 31/3/2000
Does a lovely one-two with Zamora and scores with a fine drive. After this result I knew we were going up to Division 2 and that we'd be doing so as champions.
- vs Huddersfield Town (2-1 Win) 13/10/2001
Mickey Adams had left become number 2 at Leicester City. Would the team be able to respond positively in a tough game at Huddersfield. We pissed on them over the 90 minutes and should have thrashed them but Lee Steele contrived to miss his every shot. The result was sealed thanks to a Hart hammer shot that you can see recreated on HTFC-World.com
- vs Tranmere Rovers (1-0 Win) 5/2/2002
Hart scores a goal similar to his strike vs Shrewsbury at Gillingham. Beats a couple of defenders and lumps home a long range thunderbolt to win a crucial game that keeps us in contention at the top of the table.
- vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-1 Win) 8/2/2003
One of his best performances in this game. Tore apart a Wolves side that was promoted to the Premiership at the end of the season. Wolves had pulled back a goal and the nerves were starting to show. Up pops Harty to take a through ball, hold off the defender, beat the goalie and seal the win of the season.
Gary Hart =
