Contact Us
About GoS
Now in its 26th year, andstill amateur & advert-free Please do not copy GoS
material without asking
Can you help? This page is the result of the best endeavours of all concerned. If you spot a mistake or know of facts to add, or have a better photo, please get in touch using 'Contact Us' (top, right).
Back to GoS-DB Hub Find Another Player
COLIN SULLIVAN
Born: 24 June 1951
Came from: Apprentice Went to: Norwich City
First game: 19 March 1968 Last game: 06 May 1974
Appearances: 257 (252/5) Goals: 7
Saltash-born Sullivan was just 16 when he made his Argyle debut in 1968 as Argyle's then youngest-ever player, a year before signing professional forms. He had moved from Western League to the Football Combination with the reserves sides, to Division Two in the Football League with the first team, in a very quick space of time and very much on merit.
Such is the progress of modern football and youth development, however, that his youthful debut record has been broken several times since and he currently ranks just inside the Top 10 youngest on debut as of 2025.
The Cornishman soon established himself as first choice left-back and won caps at England youth and under-23 levels, winning his two caps for the latter, whilst at Home Park in 1974, and was also a key member of the Pilgrims side which reached the League Cup semi-finals, in 1973-74.
He remained at the club until the end of that season, with his progress having not gone unnoticed. In total, he had made over 250 appearances in green and scored seven goals. Perhaps to no great surprise, he was transferred to top-flight Norwich City that summer, for £70,000. He went on to appear in the 1975 Football League Cup Final for the club, losing 1-0 to Aston Villa at Wembley. He spent five years at Carrow Road, making over 150 appearances and scoring three goals.
In February 1979, he moved to Cardiff City, where he remained until 1981, playing 63 times and scoring once. He then had a brief spell at Hereford United in 1981, playing eight times. His next move was to Portsmouth, where he played 93 games during a three-year spell without scoring, but did help the club win Division Three in 1982-83. In 1984, he moved to Swansea City, playing 53 matches, without finding the net.
After two years with the Swans, Sullivan left the Football League and relocated to Hampshire to play for Locks Heath and later ran a gardening business locally within that area.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.
By Brian Knight* in Cheltenham on 16/05/2014 ...
Colin Sullivan was 16 years, eight months and 23 days old when he made his League debut for Argyle in March 1968, (then) the youngest player to have played for the club in League football. The Saltash-born full-back made the leap that season from Western League football to the Football Combination and then on to Division Two. He went on to make 11 League appearances that season and did not sign full-time professional forms until the close season. Even allowing for the fact that the 1967-8 season saw Argyle’s relegation from the Second Division and a large amount of turbulence in team selection, Sullivan’s selection was achieved on merit.
After one more season of consolidation at left-back, he established himself as a virtually automatic choice and was honoured by England at Youth level in 1969. He won two Under-23 caps in 1974 when he was also a key member of the side which got as far as the semi-final of the League Cup.
His showing in that competition against some of the leading forwards in the First Division convinced Norwich City that he would be an asset and he played in their League Cup Final side in his first season with the East Anglian club. Having made such an early start, Colin Sullivan was on the League scene for some 20 years and had spells with Cardiff City, Hereford United, Portsmouth and Swansea City.
*Extracted from Plymouth Argyle - A Complete Record 1903-1989 by Brian Knight [ISBN 0 907969 40 2] and reproduced with his kind permission.
APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]
The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.
I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.
The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.
Greens on Screen is run as a service to fellow supporters, in all good faith, without commercial or private gain. We have no wish to abuse copyright regulations and apologise unreservedly if this occurs. If you own any of the material used on this site, and object to its inclusion, please get in touch using the 'Contact Us' button at the top of each page.