GoS: Player Details

MIKE BICKLE

Full Name: Michael John Bickle

Born: 25 January 1944

Came from: St Austell Went to: Gillingham

First game: 11 December 1965 Last game: 27 September 1971

Appearances: 195 (184/11) Goals: 74

If ever there was a case of a local boy done good, it may well have been Mike Bickle. Born in Plymouth, his journey to professional football began with Cornish side St Austell, alongside midweek appearances for Co-op Welfare in the Devon Wednesday League while working as a milkman for Plymouth Dairies. The 'Milkman' nickname followed him throughout his career and proved a gift for headline writers.

His prolific goalscoring record attracted the attention of Malcolm Allison's assistant, Derek Ufton. However, with Argyle already blessed with an abundance of forwards, the recommendation initially fell on deaf ears. When Ufton succeeded Allison as manager in late April 1965, he wasted little time in signing the player he had long admired.

Bickle quickly established himself in the reserve side and, having left his job at the dairy, made his first-team debut against Southampton in December 1965. Fittingly, he marked the occasion with a goal and continued scoring regularly over the next six years. As a local player, he quickly became a favourite with the Home Park faithful, while his courage in the penalty area endeared him to supporters. Standing just 5ft 9in, he lacked height for a centre-forward but more than compensated with his bravery, determination and tenacity. He finished as Argyle's leading goalscorer in each of his first four seasons and appeared destined for a long and successful career.

Only 13 players have scored four goals in a single game for Argyle and, of those, only two achieved the feat twice. One was Maurice Tadman; the other was Mike Bickle. His first four-goal haul came during his second season as Argyle thrashed Cardiff City 7-1 in October 1966. The second followed three years later in a 6-0 Boxing Day victory over Torquay United at Home Park.

Following the introduction of substitutes to the Football League at the start of the 1965-66 season, with Johnny Hore becoming Argyle's first substitute, Bickle claimed another place in the club's history when he became the Pilgrims' first goalscoring substitute. He came off the bench to score in a 1-1 draw away to Doncaster Rovers in November 1969.

The 1969-70 campaign proved the finest of his career as he scored 18 goals from 36 starts. Injury the following season, coupled with the emergence of Keith Allen, Jimmy Hinch and Don Hutchins, made it difficult for him to regain his place, and he found himself back in the reserves.

Argyle accepted a fee of around £7,000 from Gillingham in 1971. The Gills were managed by former Pilgrim Andy Nelson, who wasted little time in signing his former team-mate. However, Bickle initially struggled to settle in Kent before disaster struck. Just six matches into the 1972-73 season, a collision with a team-mate at Stockport left him temporarily paralysed and requiring stitches, keeping him out for two months. He attempted a comeback against Reading in the FA Cup that November but injured his shoulder. It later emerged that the original injury had also caused a fractured bone in his neck and that continuing to play carried the risk of further damage and possible paralysis. The diagnosis ultimately brought his playing career to an untimely end.

Initially reluctant to retire, Bickle never played for Gillingham again and eventually accepted the medical advice, bringing his professional career to a close in January 1973 at the age of 29. He made 32 appearances and scored seven goals during his two seasons at Priestfield.

As part of his departure from Gillingham, Nelson helped organise a testimonial for Bickle at Home Park in May 1973 against Manchester City. The visitors edged a 3-2 victory in front of 12,541 spectators, a testament to Bickle's popularity. Owing to the neck injury that had forced his retirement, he was unable to play in his own testimonial.

Bickle returned to Plymouth and spent many years working at Devonport Dockyard, remaining there until his retirement in 2010. He remained a regular visitor and matchday guest at Home Park, while his wife, Sandra, washed the Argyle Legends' kit for many years.

Mike passed away in Plymouth in November 2023 at the age of 79.

In total, he made 195 appearances for Argyle and scored 74 goals. As of December 2025, that placed him 12th on the club's all-time goalscoring list, just seven goals short of the top 10.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

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From Chris Coleman in Blackpool, Lancashire on 16/11/2013 ...

My first ever game at Home Park that my dad, who was a lifetime fan, took me to was an FA Cup 3rd Round tie against Corby Town. Argyle ran out 6-0 winners with Mike Bickle getting a hatrick against them. After that I was hooked even though we lived in Newquay, and Mike Bickle was my first Argyle hero. There have been many more since in the last 47 years.

By Brian Knight* in Cheltenham on 12/03/2014 ...

As a milkman with the Co-operative Society, Mike Bickle built up a scoring reputation at two levels — on Wednesday afternoons with Co-op Welfare in the Devon Wednesday League and on Saturdays with St Austell in the South-Western League. Eight goals in six games for Argyle Reserves at the end of 1965 were enough to convince manager Derek Ufton that the centre-forward had something to offer the club.

Bickle signed professional terms in December 1965, was given a first-team chance and ended the season with nine League goals in 17 games, a record on which he could well have improved had injury ... More

From Paul Martin in St. Austell on 10/01/2015 ...

My first game at Home Park was in September 1964 when Argyle beat Newcastle 2-1. I was hooked for ever and became a HP regular from that day on. My only regret was that I would see less of my home town club St. Austell and in particular my hero Mike Bickle. My long standing memory of Mike playing for St. Austell is when he scored all 9 in a 9-2 away victory at Nanpean Rovers.

You can imagine my joy when Bickle "followed" me to Home Park in 1965. He embraced the rise from South Western League to Division 2 with little difficulty. He was a natural goal scorer at any level. I believe Mike ... More

From John Pickford in Sainghin-en-Melantois, France on 11/12/2017 ...

Looking through a box of programmes at a collectors fair I came across Gillingham v. Argyle in the FA Cup Round 1 on 20 November 1971. It didn't sink in straightaway but this was Mike Bickle's home debut for the Kent club having signed earlier in the month and provided the two assists that enabled Gillingham to beat Reading 2-1 away the week before the cup tie. The programme makes a real fuss of the qualities that Mike Bickle will bring to the team, managed at the time by Andy Nelson who had played with Mike for Argyle of course. Sadly for Mike, through injury he did not have the opportunity ... More

From John Eales in Plymouth on 27/04/2023 ...

To answer John Pickford’s question, Mike Bickle did not score for Gillingham in the first round FA Cup tie in 1971. A match report can be found here: http://www.gillinghamfcscrapbook.co.uk/DisplayMatchReport.php?matchreport=MatchReports/1971-72/1971-72%20Plymouth%20Argyle%20Home%20FAC1.jpg&matchdate=20/11/1971&season=1971-72

APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]

The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.