It was with great sadness that I recently learned of the passing of a dear friend and loyal Tooting & Mitcham supporter, Steve McTaggart. Steve was a vital part of the great Tooting & Mitcham ‘tea-bar crew’ at our old home of Sandy Lane and was a valued fan for many, many years.
That superb tea-bar team consisted of Martin Hockey, Bruce Lewis and Steve (who are all now no longer with us) plus Roy Rumens, Eddie Epps and myself. We served the hungry fans for many seasons, and the square-sausage burgers were world famous and went down a treat with our supporters, and many of the visiting ones too. Steve always had a smile on his face, and earned the nickname ‘the cat’ (as he grinned like a Cheshire one).
Away from Tooting & Mitcham, he was also a big fan of Chelsea FC. He used to love sharing a joke with all our customers and really was a popular figure amongst Terrors fans back in the day.
On a personal note, I used to go to the same school as Steve – Gorringe Park – which was situated in Sandy Lane just a short walk from the ground. We played in the same Sunday football team, regularly went to Wimbledon speedway together, and I even went to a Chelsea game with him when they played my beloved Huddersfield Town. Wonderful memories of such happy, carefree times!
Steve, sadly, did not keep such good health in recent years, and I – together with the club – would like to send our condolences to his wife Barbara and their sons Joanthan and Michael at this sad time. It was a very great pleasure to have had Steve as a trusted mate for so many years, and he will be sadly missed by his family and friends. Rest in peace, mate.
Ian Bullock, Club Historian