1983 Kruse, Pat
Birth Date
30th November 1953
Birthplace
Arlesey, Bedfordshire
Occupation
Centre-Back
Biographical Text
Pat Kruse (ex Torquay, Leicester and Brentford) played for Exeter City in a pre-season friendly in 1983. He was always destined to be remembered for the six-second own goal he once scored playing for Torquay.
Pat turned out as a guest for the Grecians against Swindon in 1983 as a favour to his old colleague Malcolm Musgrove who was City's coach and physio. Pat had just left non-league Barnet and was in the process of becoming a builder in Hertfordshire. He played two league games for Leicester City, 79 for Torquay and 186 for Brentford with other games for Mansfield Town and Northampton Town when on loan.
Whilst at Plainmoor, Pat had memorably scored an own goal after just six seconds against Cambridge United in January 1977. Speaking to the Brentford FC website many years later Pat recalled how:
“The game was delayed for about an hour because of a frozen pitch, but when it got underway, Cambridge had kick-off and punted it forward. I was playing centre-half and could see their winger and centre-forward running towards me. The easy thing would have been to head the ball straight back out again but, at the last second, I thought I’d flick it back to my goalkeeper and we’d have possession. Unbeknown to me, I was standing just inside the box and Terry Lee, the goalkeeper, came off the line to come and catch it. Then he tried to shout for it, but he had a speech impediment and that’s when his affliction kicked in – he stuttered, but nothing came out at all. As far as I knew, he was still in his goal, but when he realised I didn’t hear, he tried to go back, slipped on the ice and as I flicked it back, I could see him lying on the floor as the ball went in. Unfortunately, it wasn’t caught on camera!”
Pat turned out as a guest for the Grecians against Swindon in 1983 as a favour to his old colleague Malcolm Musgrove who was City's coach and physio. Pat had just left non-league Barnet and was in the process of becoming a builder in Hertfordshire. He played two league games for Leicester City, 79 for Torquay and 186 for Brentford with other games for Mansfield Town and Northampton Town when on loan.
Whilst at Plainmoor, Pat had memorably scored an own goal after just six seconds against Cambridge United in January 1977. Speaking to the Brentford FC website many years later Pat recalled how:
“The game was delayed for about an hour because of a frozen pitch, but when it got underway, Cambridge had kick-off and punted it forward. I was playing centre-half and could see their winger and centre-forward running towards me. The easy thing would have been to head the ball straight back out again but, at the last second, I thought I’d flick it back to my goalkeeper and we’d have possession. Unbeknown to me, I was standing just inside the box and Terry Lee, the goalkeeper, came off the line to come and catch it. Then he tried to shout for it, but he had a speech impediment and that’s when his affliction kicked in – he stuttered, but nothing came out at all. As far as I knew, he was still in his goal, but when he realised I didn’t hear, he tried to go back, slipped on the ice and as I flicked it back, I could see him lying on the floor as the ball went in. Unfortunately, it wasn’t caught on camera!”
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