Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "blackburn-rovers"
Blackpool FC Hat-Trick Hero at Deepdale
Frederick (Fred) Pickering 1941-2019
Whatever else Fred Pickering achieved in football, and he achieved plenty, he will forever be remembered by Blackpool football fans as the Seasiders' player who scored the hat-trick at Deepdale on 13 April 1970 that sent Blackpool back into the top flight of English football.
Fred was born in Blackburn on 19 January 1941 and, as a centre forward, he was signed by Blackpool from Birmingham City for a fee of £45,000 on 17 June 1969. He had begun his career as a junior full back at Blackburn Rovers, a club that he joined as a non-contract player in May 1956 and for whom he signed as a professional in January 1958. He played 147 League and Cup games for Blackburn and scored 72 goals before he was transferred to Everton for a then club record fee of £85,000 in March 1964. His 115 League and Cup appearances for Everton brought him 70 goals before he moved on to Birmingham City for a fee of £50,000 in August 1967. He played 74 League games and scored 27 goals for Birmingham. He had won three England Under-23 caps, scoring four goals, and three full international caps, scoring three goals on his debut against the United States of America and five goals in all. He had also represented the Football League.
He made his Blackpool debut in the opening game of the 1969/70 season against Portsmouth on 9 August 1969 and although in the first half 'he hadn’t yet got to a position to have a go at goal he was moving well in the middle'. He had a chance in the second half but 'centre half Hand did well to get in a sliding tackle on the Blackpool leader and push the ball back to his ‘keeper' as Blackpool won 2-1.
He scored his first goal for Blackpool against Norwich City on 16 August 1969 in the 49th minute when 'Hutchison’s flag kick was nudged on by Burns, missed about three Norwich defenders and Pickering, unmarked at the far side of goal, nodded into the unguarded net' but, despite this goal, Blackpool suffered a 3-1 defeat.
After five games of the 1969/70 season he contracted pneumonia but, after an absence of only five games, he was rushed back into the side when the club had 17 of their 22 contracted players undergoing treatment for injuries. He said, later, 'We were third-bottom, and I had a knee injury and wasn’t training. Then we got our players fit and never looked back.'
His return to League action was against Middlesbrough on 27 September 1969 when Blackpool won 2-0.
On 4 October 1969 one critic stuck his neck out when writing 'I’m still sure that Pickering is going to get among the goals one of these days and prove a valuable buy. Although he did not play well against Crystal Palace, he did well against Middlesbrough last Saturday and laid on Alan Suddick’s second half goal in great style.' Two weeks later, on 18 October 1969, he scored 'two well-taken second half goals' in a 3-2 victory over Sheffield United. His first came in the 61st minute when 'Burns managed to keep possession to cross from the line [and] Pickering, charging in at the far side of the goal, hit the ball first time low into the net with the home defence almost standing.' His second came in the 81st minute when Craven had a shot charged down and 'the ball broke loose to Pickering, who hit it first time from 16 yards past Hodgkinson'.
A 35th-minute header gave Blackpool a 1-0 victory over Watford on 10 January 1970. The goal came after 'Hutchison did the early work before passing to Suddick on the left, and the Blackpool forward immediately centred for Pickering to leap above the retreating Watford defenders to head the ball down into the net. It bounced high on the line and then into the top of the goal.' And in the dramatic FA Cup third round replay against Arsenal on 15 January 1970 he scored Blackpool’s second goal as they came back from a half-time two-goal deficit to win 3-2. By then the critics felt that he had played 'some fine stuff' and scored some vital goals.
PICKERING PIRATES THE POINTS was the alliterative headline in The Green after Blackpool’s 2-0 victory over Charlton Athletic on 28 February 1970. He scored 'two tremendous goals in the second half', his first after 59 minutes when 'Hutchison centred a perfect ball and Pickering, who started his run outside the box, charged into the six-yard box to meet the ball and ram it home via the top of the head of a defender stationed on the goal line' and his second came after 68 minutes when 'Blackpool broke out of defence [and] Craven’s strength told in a series of tackles just inside the Charlton half when the ball broke back to him after Setters had challenged and he sent Burns away to force a corner off Kinsey. Once again the corner Suddick sent was an outswinger to the edge of the box, where Pickering, a yard clear of the nearest Charlton man hit it on the volley as he turned and the ball sped knee high like a rocket into the corner of the net.'
In the Easter Saturday fixture against Aston Villa on 28 March 1970 he scored twice, once from the penalty spot, as Blackpool won 2-1. He struck first after 13 minutes when 'unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box, he jumped to pick his spot with a well-placed header' and, after Hutchison had been brought down, he stepped up to drive a 59th-minute penalty past Dunn. He earned the headline HAPPY EASTER FROM FRED!
He wrote his name large in Blackpool football folklore when he scored a hat-trick in the game against arch-rivals Preston North End on 13 April 1969. In front of a packed 34,000 crowd, his three goals without reply sent Blackpool back into the First Division after a three-season absence and sent North End down to Division Three. He later recalled, 'It was more special because it was Preston. The fans were against each other and there were 20,000 Blackpool supporters there. It’s always brought up whenever I go back to Blackpool and is one of my fondest memories. They’d had so many great players in the past — Matthews and Mortensen — but hadn’t done anything for years until we got them up. We had three games over Easter and had to win two. We beat Sheffield United at home on the Saturday, then won at Preston and we were up.' He remembered his hat-trick goal because he felt Tommy Hutchison’s shot was going in but decided to make sure and he commented, 'The ‘keeper got a hand to it and it was rolling over the line but I didn’t know who was behind me so I put it in to make sure. I wasn’t thinking about my hat-trick.'
He played 35 League games, scoring 17 goals, two FA Cup ties and three League Cup ties, scoring one goal, in the Division Two promotion season of 1969/70.
Manager Les Shannon suspended him from first team action for 14 days on 28 August 1970 for a breach of club discipline, missing training. He denied that he had immediately made a transfer request and said that although he had not had a chance to discuss the situation with manager Les Shannon, he would be having talks with the manager to 'clear the air' on the following Monday. Consequently he missed two League games. One critic, perhaps unfairly, felt he had become 'a hot handful in the disciplinary stakes'.
He was placed on the transfer list in late September 1970. And after injury had caused him to miss two games, Les Shannon suspended him for another breach of club discipline, missing training once again, in early October 1970. Shannon commented he was suspended 'for repeatedly breaking club discipline' and the chance of a reconciliation between player and manager was rather slight and it was deemed that the best solution would be a parting of the ways. He missed two further League games when he received no pay and missed out on any special bonuses that were paid.
Back in the side and in one of the most dramatic games seen at Bloomfield Road in a long while, he scored twice in the first half and an Alan Suddick goal gave Blackpool a 3-0 half-time lead against Chelsea on 24 October 1970. For his first goal he 'took a return pass from Green and, with Phillips off his line and a gap yawning in the Chelsea defence he hit the ball quickly and high into the net from a couple of yards outside the penalty area'. His second goal was deemed 'one of the best he has scored in his career' as 'Suddick found Burns with a pass to the right. Burns fashioned the chance beautifully when he slipped past Chelsea’s tough tackling Harris on the outside to cut back a low centre which Pickering met on the volley about nine yards out, slashing the ball into the roof of the net.' In the 75th minute, with Blackpool leading 3-1, he was replaced by John Craven and 'Pickering seemed as surprised as many people in the crowd that he was being taken off' and Chelsea came back strongly to win 4-3 with an unfortunate last minute own goal by Dave Hatton.
He was suspended by acting-manager Jimmy Meadows in early November 1970 for failing to report for treatment when injured and it was noted, 'He obviously poses a disciplinary problem.' He was not pleased at the club's decision and he stated that he would from then on be playing for himself and the consensus of opinion was that Blackpool should therefore put the club first and take some stronger action even though there was no doubt that he was the best centre forward on the club’s books.
On 17 November 1970 he commented, 'I am determined to prove myself again in the team. I don’t hold any grudges against anyone for what happened. The club needs everyone at the moment and I am going to do my best for Blackpool.' Meadows commented, 'I had Fred in my office yesterday and we ironed out any problems there were. We have sorted things out and he is prepared to put his back into the job and give everything he has got for the club. Fred felt his statement about not playing for Blackpool again had been said in haste and he retracts that. I’m pleased we have sorted this out, for whatever problems arise, the job still has to be done.'
Having patched up his differences with the club he was reintroduced to the League side against Derby County on 21 November 1970 when 'not much was seen of Blackpool’s two big men in attack, Craven and Pickering' as Blackpool lost 2-0.
Thereafter he was in and out of the side until he returned to League action, after Bob Stokoe had taken over as manager, as a 54th-minute substitute for Tommy Hutchison against Liverpool on 9 January 1971 and he scored Blackpool’s second goal after 59 minutes in a 2-2 draw. And with only his second touch of the ball, five minutes after taking the field, he was 'lying handy at the near post to flick the ball low past Clemence' after a cross by Tony Green. The following week he scored twice in a 3-3 draw with Manchester City on 16 January 1971. After nine minutes he was able to 'run between two City defenders and plant the ball firmly past Corrigan with his head from close range' and then after 63 minutes he followed up Kemp’s shot that Corrigan could only palm out and 'squeezed it [the ball] over the line under the ‘keeper’s body'.
He played what turned out to be his final League game for Blackpool against Derby County on 20 February 1971 and he had one chance but 'Big Fred didn’t hit it properly. Boulton managed to parry the ball and the ‘keeper did a marvellous job for Derby when he managed to recover and smother it on the line as Hutchison slid in and got in a second shot.' Blackpool lost the game 1-0. He had played 14 League games, made one substitute appearance and scored seven goals, one FA Cup tie up and four Central League games, scoring two goals, one from the penalty spot, for Blackpool up to the time of his transfer in the 1970/71 season. And his senior Blackpool career encompassed 56 League and Cup games in which he scored 25 goals.
In what was termed 'a surprise deal' he was transferred to Blackburn Rovers on 10 March 1971 for a fee of £9,000 plus an extra £1,000 should Rovers remain in Division Two at the end of that season. Rovers did not do so and the additional £1,000 was waived. Blackburn manager Johnny Carey had contacted Bob Stokoe by telephone on the morning of the transfer, the deal was agreed and Pickering travelled to Ewood Park to quickly agree personal terms. The transfer was a major blow to Preston North End who had an offer for Pickering discussed at a board meeting the previous evening.
He played 11 League games and scored two goals in his second spell at Blackburn. He went to Brighton and Hove Albion for a trial in February 1972 but he was not retained by the club.
After retirement from football he lived and worked as a driver in the Blackburn area. Always a fans' favourite he returned to Bloomfield Road for various celebrations over the ensuing years, including Jimmy Armfield’s 70th birthday celebrations in September 2005. I last saw him at Ewood Park when Blackpool, in their solitary Premier League season, played Blackburn and he was just as ebullient as ever and he was delighted to be watching two of his former sides playing in the top flight.
He died on 9 February 2019 and everybody's thoughts are with Fred’s three children and his family and friends at this sad time.
Whatever else Fred Pickering achieved in football, and he achieved plenty, he will forever be remembered by Blackpool football fans as the Seasiders' player who scored the hat-trick at Deepdale on 13 April 1970 that sent Blackpool back into the top flight of English football.
Fred was born in Blackburn on 19 January 1941 and, as a centre forward, he was signed by Blackpool from Birmingham City for a fee of £45,000 on 17 June 1969. He had begun his career as a junior full back at Blackburn Rovers, a club that he joined as a non-contract player in May 1956 and for whom he signed as a professional in January 1958. He played 147 League and Cup games for Blackburn and scored 72 goals before he was transferred to Everton for a then club record fee of £85,000 in March 1964. His 115 League and Cup appearances for Everton brought him 70 goals before he moved on to Birmingham City for a fee of £50,000 in August 1967. He played 74 League games and scored 27 goals for Birmingham. He had won three England Under-23 caps, scoring four goals, and three full international caps, scoring three goals on his debut against the United States of America and five goals in all. He had also represented the Football League.
He made his Blackpool debut in the opening game of the 1969/70 season against Portsmouth on 9 August 1969 and although in the first half 'he hadn’t yet got to a position to have a go at goal he was moving well in the middle'. He had a chance in the second half but 'centre half Hand did well to get in a sliding tackle on the Blackpool leader and push the ball back to his ‘keeper' as Blackpool won 2-1.
He scored his first goal for Blackpool against Norwich City on 16 August 1969 in the 49th minute when 'Hutchison’s flag kick was nudged on by Burns, missed about three Norwich defenders and Pickering, unmarked at the far side of goal, nodded into the unguarded net' but, despite this goal, Blackpool suffered a 3-1 defeat.
After five games of the 1969/70 season he contracted pneumonia but, after an absence of only five games, he was rushed back into the side when the club had 17 of their 22 contracted players undergoing treatment for injuries. He said, later, 'We were third-bottom, and I had a knee injury and wasn’t training. Then we got our players fit and never looked back.'
His return to League action was against Middlesbrough on 27 September 1969 when Blackpool won 2-0.
On 4 October 1969 one critic stuck his neck out when writing 'I’m still sure that Pickering is going to get among the goals one of these days and prove a valuable buy. Although he did not play well against Crystal Palace, he did well against Middlesbrough last Saturday and laid on Alan Suddick’s second half goal in great style.' Two weeks later, on 18 October 1969, he scored 'two well-taken second half goals' in a 3-2 victory over Sheffield United. His first came in the 61st minute when 'Burns managed to keep possession to cross from the line [and] Pickering, charging in at the far side of the goal, hit the ball first time low into the net with the home defence almost standing.' His second came in the 81st minute when Craven had a shot charged down and 'the ball broke loose to Pickering, who hit it first time from 16 yards past Hodgkinson'.
A 35th-minute header gave Blackpool a 1-0 victory over Watford on 10 January 1970. The goal came after 'Hutchison did the early work before passing to Suddick on the left, and the Blackpool forward immediately centred for Pickering to leap above the retreating Watford defenders to head the ball down into the net. It bounced high on the line and then into the top of the goal.' And in the dramatic FA Cup third round replay against Arsenal on 15 January 1970 he scored Blackpool’s second goal as they came back from a half-time two-goal deficit to win 3-2. By then the critics felt that he had played 'some fine stuff' and scored some vital goals.
PICKERING PIRATES THE POINTS was the alliterative headline in The Green after Blackpool’s 2-0 victory over Charlton Athletic on 28 February 1970. He scored 'two tremendous goals in the second half', his first after 59 minutes when 'Hutchison centred a perfect ball and Pickering, who started his run outside the box, charged into the six-yard box to meet the ball and ram it home via the top of the head of a defender stationed on the goal line' and his second came after 68 minutes when 'Blackpool broke out of defence [and] Craven’s strength told in a series of tackles just inside the Charlton half when the ball broke back to him after Setters had challenged and he sent Burns away to force a corner off Kinsey. Once again the corner Suddick sent was an outswinger to the edge of the box, where Pickering, a yard clear of the nearest Charlton man hit it on the volley as he turned and the ball sped knee high like a rocket into the corner of the net.'
In the Easter Saturday fixture against Aston Villa on 28 March 1970 he scored twice, once from the penalty spot, as Blackpool won 2-1. He struck first after 13 minutes when 'unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box, he jumped to pick his spot with a well-placed header' and, after Hutchison had been brought down, he stepped up to drive a 59th-minute penalty past Dunn. He earned the headline HAPPY EASTER FROM FRED!
He wrote his name large in Blackpool football folklore when he scored a hat-trick in the game against arch-rivals Preston North End on 13 April 1969. In front of a packed 34,000 crowd, his three goals without reply sent Blackpool back into the First Division after a three-season absence and sent North End down to Division Three. He later recalled, 'It was more special because it was Preston. The fans were against each other and there were 20,000 Blackpool supporters there. It’s always brought up whenever I go back to Blackpool and is one of my fondest memories. They’d had so many great players in the past — Matthews and Mortensen — but hadn’t done anything for years until we got them up. We had three games over Easter and had to win two. We beat Sheffield United at home on the Saturday, then won at Preston and we were up.' He remembered his hat-trick goal because he felt Tommy Hutchison’s shot was going in but decided to make sure and he commented, 'The ‘keeper got a hand to it and it was rolling over the line but I didn’t know who was behind me so I put it in to make sure. I wasn’t thinking about my hat-trick.'
He played 35 League games, scoring 17 goals, two FA Cup ties and three League Cup ties, scoring one goal, in the Division Two promotion season of 1969/70.
Manager Les Shannon suspended him from first team action for 14 days on 28 August 1970 for a breach of club discipline, missing training. He denied that he had immediately made a transfer request and said that although he had not had a chance to discuss the situation with manager Les Shannon, he would be having talks with the manager to 'clear the air' on the following Monday. Consequently he missed two League games. One critic, perhaps unfairly, felt he had become 'a hot handful in the disciplinary stakes'.
He was placed on the transfer list in late September 1970. And after injury had caused him to miss two games, Les Shannon suspended him for another breach of club discipline, missing training once again, in early October 1970. Shannon commented he was suspended 'for repeatedly breaking club discipline' and the chance of a reconciliation between player and manager was rather slight and it was deemed that the best solution would be a parting of the ways. He missed two further League games when he received no pay and missed out on any special bonuses that were paid.
Back in the side and in one of the most dramatic games seen at Bloomfield Road in a long while, he scored twice in the first half and an Alan Suddick goal gave Blackpool a 3-0 half-time lead against Chelsea on 24 October 1970. For his first goal he 'took a return pass from Green and, with Phillips off his line and a gap yawning in the Chelsea defence he hit the ball quickly and high into the net from a couple of yards outside the penalty area'. His second goal was deemed 'one of the best he has scored in his career' as 'Suddick found Burns with a pass to the right. Burns fashioned the chance beautifully when he slipped past Chelsea’s tough tackling Harris on the outside to cut back a low centre which Pickering met on the volley about nine yards out, slashing the ball into the roof of the net.' In the 75th minute, with Blackpool leading 3-1, he was replaced by John Craven and 'Pickering seemed as surprised as many people in the crowd that he was being taken off' and Chelsea came back strongly to win 4-3 with an unfortunate last minute own goal by Dave Hatton.
He was suspended by acting-manager Jimmy Meadows in early November 1970 for failing to report for treatment when injured and it was noted, 'He obviously poses a disciplinary problem.' He was not pleased at the club's decision and he stated that he would from then on be playing for himself and the consensus of opinion was that Blackpool should therefore put the club first and take some stronger action even though there was no doubt that he was the best centre forward on the club’s books.
On 17 November 1970 he commented, 'I am determined to prove myself again in the team. I don’t hold any grudges against anyone for what happened. The club needs everyone at the moment and I am going to do my best for Blackpool.' Meadows commented, 'I had Fred in my office yesterday and we ironed out any problems there were. We have sorted things out and he is prepared to put his back into the job and give everything he has got for the club. Fred felt his statement about not playing for Blackpool again had been said in haste and he retracts that. I’m pleased we have sorted this out, for whatever problems arise, the job still has to be done.'
Having patched up his differences with the club he was reintroduced to the League side against Derby County on 21 November 1970 when 'not much was seen of Blackpool’s two big men in attack, Craven and Pickering' as Blackpool lost 2-0.
Thereafter he was in and out of the side until he returned to League action, after Bob Stokoe had taken over as manager, as a 54th-minute substitute for Tommy Hutchison against Liverpool on 9 January 1971 and he scored Blackpool’s second goal after 59 minutes in a 2-2 draw. And with only his second touch of the ball, five minutes after taking the field, he was 'lying handy at the near post to flick the ball low past Clemence' after a cross by Tony Green. The following week he scored twice in a 3-3 draw with Manchester City on 16 January 1971. After nine minutes he was able to 'run between two City defenders and plant the ball firmly past Corrigan with his head from close range' and then after 63 minutes he followed up Kemp’s shot that Corrigan could only palm out and 'squeezed it [the ball] over the line under the ‘keeper’s body'.
He played what turned out to be his final League game for Blackpool against Derby County on 20 February 1971 and he had one chance but 'Big Fred didn’t hit it properly. Boulton managed to parry the ball and the ‘keeper did a marvellous job for Derby when he managed to recover and smother it on the line as Hutchison slid in and got in a second shot.' Blackpool lost the game 1-0. He had played 14 League games, made one substitute appearance and scored seven goals, one FA Cup tie up and four Central League games, scoring two goals, one from the penalty spot, for Blackpool up to the time of his transfer in the 1970/71 season. And his senior Blackpool career encompassed 56 League and Cup games in which he scored 25 goals.
In what was termed 'a surprise deal' he was transferred to Blackburn Rovers on 10 March 1971 for a fee of £9,000 plus an extra £1,000 should Rovers remain in Division Two at the end of that season. Rovers did not do so and the additional £1,000 was waived. Blackburn manager Johnny Carey had contacted Bob Stokoe by telephone on the morning of the transfer, the deal was agreed and Pickering travelled to Ewood Park to quickly agree personal terms. The transfer was a major blow to Preston North End who had an offer for Pickering discussed at a board meeting the previous evening.
He played 11 League games and scored two goals in his second spell at Blackburn. He went to Brighton and Hove Albion for a trial in February 1972 but he was not retained by the club.
After retirement from football he lived and worked as a driver in the Blackburn area. Always a fans' favourite he returned to Bloomfield Road for various celebrations over the ensuing years, including Jimmy Armfield’s 70th birthday celebrations in September 2005. I last saw him at Ewood Park when Blackpool, in their solitary Premier League season, played Blackburn and he was just as ebullient as ever and he was delighted to be watching two of his former sides playing in the top flight.
He died on 9 February 2019 and everybody's thoughts are with Fred’s three children and his family and friends at this sad time.
Seasiders' striker who went on to score more than 100 League goals
Christopher Robin Anthony (Kit) Napier 1943-2019
Kit Napier was born in Dunblane on 26 September 1943 and played for Arniston Thistle, a Scottish junior club as an inside forward; he later became a centre forward. He was signed by Blackpool as an amateur of considerable promise in October 1959 following a recommendation from a Scottish headmaster to Blackpool’s trainer Johnny Lynas.
He was said to have shown much promise in his early games with the Blackpool Youth side {I once saw him score seven goals in a 10-0 victory for Blackpool Youth} and he was also a more than useful golfer, having tied for a trophy at West Linton Golf Club before joining Blackpool.
Blackpool signed him as a full time professional on 30 October 1960 when his weekly wage was to be £7 per week with an extra £13 if and when playing in the first team and an extra £2 when playing in the second team. He earned that £2 when making his debut for the Central League side in a 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa reserves on 27 August 1960; it was his only Central League game in the 1960/61 season.
He was a regular goalscorer, scoring twice as Blackpool defeated the Lancastrian Brigade 4-1 in the North West Regional Challenge Cup Final on 20 April 1961 to win his first trophy with the club.
His weekly wage for the 1961/62 season was adjusted to £9 with an extra £5 if and when playing in the first team and an extra £2 when playing in the reserve side. He was still playing in the Youth side and in a Youth Cup game against Liverpool on 13 December 1961 he was 'the best forward' and 'over the 90 minutes he was tricky deceptive but not always direct'. He scored Blackpool’s goal in a 2-1 defeat.
Still only 18 he made his first team debut in the League Cup third round against Workington on 5 November 1961. Blackpool won 1 0 and he had 'a promising match' when 'with not a lot of support he showed some splendid touches, [and a] willingness to stand up for himself', he even had 'a surprise shot which smacked against the crossbar with Wright hopelessly beaten'. But he was mainly confined to the Central League side and he impressed in a 4-3 defeat by Everton reserves on 11 November 1961 and with the first team centre forward position in doubt, it was thought that he might be given a chance of a League debut. In the event Ray Charnley recovered from injury and he was not required. So, the League Cup tie was his only first team game of the 1961/62 season but he did play in 17 Central League games, scoring just one goal, that in a 3-3 draw with Chesterfield reserves on 9 December 1961.
His play had developed considerably and he was fully expected to get his chance in League football in the 1962/63 season and, consequently, his weekly wage for the season was £13 plus an extra £10 if and when playing in the first team and an extra £2 when playing in the reserve side.
He missed another opportunity for a League debut when he was pencilled in for his debut in place of Ray Charnley against Liverpool on 15 December 1962 but at the last minute manager Ronnie Suart felt that the going would suit Charnley better so Napier did not play; Blackpool lost the game 2-1.
However, the following week he was selected for his League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 22 December 1962 but fog descended and the game was abandoned {I was at the game and it lasted about seven minutes as the fog descended from an almost cloudless blue sky]. Then came the big freeze and Blackpool only played one game, against Tottenham Hotspur on 19 January 1963, until they restarted their fixtures with a match against Manchester United on 23 February 1963. And that was the game that Napier finally made his First Division debut at centre forward in the 1 1 draw at Manchester United.
He kept his place for the following game, a 3-2 win over Leyton Orient on 2 March 1963 when he was considered 'not yet a First Division centre forward' and he was left out of the side after this game. He returned to Central League action in which, over the 1962/63 season, he was the top scorer with 15 goals from 33 games, in addition to his two League games.
He was transferred to Preston North End for a fee of £700 on 24 June 1963 after his Blackpool career had encompassed two League games, one League Cup tie and 51 Central League games.
He made just one first team League appearance, for Preston North End at outside right against Charlton Athletic, and he was allowed to leave after just one season at the club. His appearances in the reserve side were deemed 'more spirited than talented'.
Preston transferred him to Third Division Workington in July 1964 and he went on to play 58 League games and scored 28 goals for the club in a 16-month stay. He had one of his best days at the club when he scored twice as Workington eliminated First Division Blackburn Rovers 5-1 from the 1964/65 League Cup and he also scored the equalizer as his club earned a deserved replay against eventual winners Chelsea in the quarter-final. His 13 goals for Workington in his final season ensured a transfer to First Division Newcastle United for a £20,000 fee on 5 November 1965. And rather ironically, he made his first team debut the day after signing, in a 2 0 defeat of Blackpool at St James’s Park on 6 November 1965. He went on to play only eight League games for Newcastle United and, perhaps surprisingly, failed to score a goal.
Newcastle transferred him to Third Division Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee of £8,500 in September 1966 and he had his most successful spell in League football as in 249 League games, plus seven substitute appearances, he scored 84 goals for the club. He was a fans' favourite at Brighton, being the club's top goalscorer in five of his six seasons, equalling the club post-war record of 28 goals in a season in 1967/68 and scoring 19 goals in Brighton's 1971/72 promotion season. In all games he scored 99 goals in 291 appearances for Brighton and is the club's third all-time leading goalscorer, behind Glenn Murray and Tommy Cook. It was said of him at Brighton, 'He was a ball-playing attacker, skilful with both feet, and with tremendous talent for goalscoring. At the Goldstone, Napier’s class and quick-witted play endeared him to the crowds.'
In August 1972 he was on the move once more when he was transferred for a fee of £15,000 to Blackburn Rovers, where he played 63 League and Cup games, made one substitute appearance and scored 13 goals. He left Ewood Park after the 1973/74 season.
His League career saw him make 379 appearances and score 119 goals.
After leaving Blackburn Rovers he moved to South Africa where he played for Durban United and after retirement from professional football he had a career in the motor trade. He continued to play golf and appeared in many pro-am tournaments in South Africa.
He died on 31 March 2019 at his home in South Africa after a long illness.
Kit Napier was born in Dunblane on 26 September 1943 and played for Arniston Thistle, a Scottish junior club as an inside forward; he later became a centre forward. He was signed by Blackpool as an amateur of considerable promise in October 1959 following a recommendation from a Scottish headmaster to Blackpool’s trainer Johnny Lynas.
He was said to have shown much promise in his early games with the Blackpool Youth side {I once saw him score seven goals in a 10-0 victory for Blackpool Youth} and he was also a more than useful golfer, having tied for a trophy at West Linton Golf Club before joining Blackpool.
Blackpool signed him as a full time professional on 30 October 1960 when his weekly wage was to be £7 per week with an extra £13 if and when playing in the first team and an extra £2 when playing in the second team. He earned that £2 when making his debut for the Central League side in a 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa reserves on 27 August 1960; it was his only Central League game in the 1960/61 season.
He was a regular goalscorer, scoring twice as Blackpool defeated the Lancastrian Brigade 4-1 in the North West Regional Challenge Cup Final on 20 April 1961 to win his first trophy with the club.
His weekly wage for the 1961/62 season was adjusted to £9 with an extra £5 if and when playing in the first team and an extra £2 when playing in the reserve side. He was still playing in the Youth side and in a Youth Cup game against Liverpool on 13 December 1961 he was 'the best forward' and 'over the 90 minutes he was tricky deceptive but not always direct'. He scored Blackpool’s goal in a 2-1 defeat.
Still only 18 he made his first team debut in the League Cup third round against Workington on 5 November 1961. Blackpool won 1 0 and he had 'a promising match' when 'with not a lot of support he showed some splendid touches, [and a] willingness to stand up for himself', he even had 'a surprise shot which smacked against the crossbar with Wright hopelessly beaten'. But he was mainly confined to the Central League side and he impressed in a 4-3 defeat by Everton reserves on 11 November 1961 and with the first team centre forward position in doubt, it was thought that he might be given a chance of a League debut. In the event Ray Charnley recovered from injury and he was not required. So, the League Cup tie was his only first team game of the 1961/62 season but he did play in 17 Central League games, scoring just one goal, that in a 3-3 draw with Chesterfield reserves on 9 December 1961.
His play had developed considerably and he was fully expected to get his chance in League football in the 1962/63 season and, consequently, his weekly wage for the season was £13 plus an extra £10 if and when playing in the first team and an extra £2 when playing in the reserve side.
He missed another opportunity for a League debut when he was pencilled in for his debut in place of Ray Charnley against Liverpool on 15 December 1962 but at the last minute manager Ronnie Suart felt that the going would suit Charnley better so Napier did not play; Blackpool lost the game 2-1.
However, the following week he was selected for his League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 22 December 1962 but fog descended and the game was abandoned {I was at the game and it lasted about seven minutes as the fog descended from an almost cloudless blue sky]. Then came the big freeze and Blackpool only played one game, against Tottenham Hotspur on 19 January 1963, until they restarted their fixtures with a match against Manchester United on 23 February 1963. And that was the game that Napier finally made his First Division debut at centre forward in the 1 1 draw at Manchester United.
He kept his place for the following game, a 3-2 win over Leyton Orient on 2 March 1963 when he was considered 'not yet a First Division centre forward' and he was left out of the side after this game. He returned to Central League action in which, over the 1962/63 season, he was the top scorer with 15 goals from 33 games, in addition to his two League games.
He was transferred to Preston North End for a fee of £700 on 24 June 1963 after his Blackpool career had encompassed two League games, one League Cup tie and 51 Central League games.
He made just one first team League appearance, for Preston North End at outside right against Charlton Athletic, and he was allowed to leave after just one season at the club. His appearances in the reserve side were deemed 'more spirited than talented'.
Preston transferred him to Third Division Workington in July 1964 and he went on to play 58 League games and scored 28 goals for the club in a 16-month stay. He had one of his best days at the club when he scored twice as Workington eliminated First Division Blackburn Rovers 5-1 from the 1964/65 League Cup and he also scored the equalizer as his club earned a deserved replay against eventual winners Chelsea in the quarter-final. His 13 goals for Workington in his final season ensured a transfer to First Division Newcastle United for a £20,000 fee on 5 November 1965. And rather ironically, he made his first team debut the day after signing, in a 2 0 defeat of Blackpool at St James’s Park on 6 November 1965. He went on to play only eight League games for Newcastle United and, perhaps surprisingly, failed to score a goal.
Newcastle transferred him to Third Division Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee of £8,500 in September 1966 and he had his most successful spell in League football as in 249 League games, plus seven substitute appearances, he scored 84 goals for the club. He was a fans' favourite at Brighton, being the club's top goalscorer in five of his six seasons, equalling the club post-war record of 28 goals in a season in 1967/68 and scoring 19 goals in Brighton's 1971/72 promotion season. In all games he scored 99 goals in 291 appearances for Brighton and is the club's third all-time leading goalscorer, behind Glenn Murray and Tommy Cook. It was said of him at Brighton, 'He was a ball-playing attacker, skilful with both feet, and with tremendous talent for goalscoring. At the Goldstone, Napier’s class and quick-witted play endeared him to the crowds.'
In August 1972 he was on the move once more when he was transferred for a fee of £15,000 to Blackburn Rovers, where he played 63 League and Cup games, made one substitute appearance and scored 13 goals. He left Ewood Park after the 1973/74 season.
His League career saw him make 379 appearances and score 119 goals.
After leaving Blackburn Rovers he moved to South Africa where he played for Durban United and after retirement from professional football he had a career in the motor trade. He continued to play golf and appeared in many pro-am tournaments in South Africa.
He died on 31 March 2019 at his home in South Africa after a long illness.
A dedicated professional
Kevin Stonehouse 1959-2019
Kevin Stonehouse was born in Bishop Auckland on 20 September 1959. He was a midfield player or forward who began his senior career with non-league Shildon before moving to Blackburn Rovers in July 1979. He was a most popular player at Ewood Park and he played 77 League games, made eight substitute appearances and scored 27 goals for Rovers, also playing in two FA Cup ties and three League Cup ties plus making one appearance as a substitute in the competition and scoring one goal.
Blackburn transferred him to Huddersfield Town for a fee of £25,000 in March 1983 and he went on to play 20 League games, make two substitute appearances and score four goals for Huddersfield. Blackpool signed him from the Yorkshire club for a fee of £25,000 on transfer deadline day, 23 March 1984. The fee was covered by the money Coventry were paying for the transfer of Dave Bamber. Blackpool manager Sam Ellis commented, 'The signing is a bit special. It's one for the future as well as boosting our promotion chances.' And Kevin Stonehouse said, 'Sam didn't have to sell the club very hard. It has obvious potential and I'm so excited about the move that we'll be moving house quicker than we've done before.'
He made his League debut for Blackpool against Chester City on 24 March 1984 when he 'struggled to fit into the system' as the game was drawn 3-3 after Blackpool had 'tossed away a two-goal lead'. He 'swept home his first Blackpool goal' in a 1-1 draw with Stockport County on 10 April 1984 and he went on to add another four goals, including two against Colchester United in a 3-2 victory on 1 May, when he earned the headline 'Two-goal Kevin caps a corker', and the only goal of the game against Hartlepool United on 20 April, in the 13 games that he played in the 1983/84 season.
After scoring twice in the opening game, a 2-0 victory over Halifax Town on 25 August 1984 his season was plagued by a niggling knee injury but even so he played 26 League games, plus making one substitute appearance and scoring 11 goals, and he was considered to have played a key part in Blackpool’s promotion to the Third Division as runners-up to Chesterfield.
The knee injury delayed his start to the 1985/86 season and at one point it was deemed serious enough for Blackpool to consider his future at the club. But manager Same Ellis decided to keep him on the wage bill in order to give him a chance to prove his fitness. And after returning to action in two games as substitute he regained his first team place in a 2-1 victory over Chesterfield on 22 October 1985. he went on a run of 14 consecutive games, scoring two goals, before, after some disappointing results, he was left out of the team after what proved to be his final league game for the club, a 0-0 draw with Reading on 18 January 1986. He was not happy as he felt he had been made the scapegoat but Ellis threatened that he would put him on the transfer list. He had played 14 League games, made two substitute appearances and scored three goals in the 1985/86 season.
A broken leg kept him out of action in the early part of the 1986/87 season and in late September 1986 he was seeing a specialist about the possibility of a comeback. But that was delayed and he did not begin his comeback until late November 1986 when he appeared in the Blackpool ‘A’ side. He did not appear in the league side in the 1986/87 season and he was released on 11 May 1987 after a total of 56 senior appearances in all competitions for Blackpool and he scored 19 goals.
He joined Darlington in July 1987 and he played 59 League games, made 13 substitute appearances and scored 20 goals for the club, who, in March 1989, loaned him to Carlisle United, where he made just three substitute appearances.
In July 1989 Darlington transferred him to Rochdale, where he played 13 League games, made one substitute appearance and scored two goals.
When he retired from league football, he had made 252 League appearances scoring 72 goals for his various clubs.
He later played non-league football for Bishop Auckland, South Bank, Northallerton and Willington. At the last named club he was also assistant-manager and physiotherapist. He was later in charge at Shotton Comrades and he took the team up as runners-up from the Northern League Division Two to Division One in the 1998/99 season.
He subsequently returned to Darlington where he spent time working in a variety of roles, including being the Football in the Community Officer.
Latterly he was a scout at Newcastle United and he was set to assist head coach Steve Bruce at the start of a new managerial era at St James' Park for the 2019/2020 season.
He died of a heart attack on 28 July 2019 while watching a pre-season friendly game at Hillsborough, only two days after returning from an international scouting expedition.
Kevin was much loved by all the clubs with which he was involved and he will be hugely missed by family, friends and supporters.
Kevin Stonehouse was born in Bishop Auckland on 20 September 1959. He was a midfield player or forward who began his senior career with non-league Shildon before moving to Blackburn Rovers in July 1979. He was a most popular player at Ewood Park and he played 77 League games, made eight substitute appearances and scored 27 goals for Rovers, also playing in two FA Cup ties and three League Cup ties plus making one appearance as a substitute in the competition and scoring one goal.
Blackburn transferred him to Huddersfield Town for a fee of £25,000 in March 1983 and he went on to play 20 League games, make two substitute appearances and score four goals for Huddersfield. Blackpool signed him from the Yorkshire club for a fee of £25,000 on transfer deadline day, 23 March 1984. The fee was covered by the money Coventry were paying for the transfer of Dave Bamber. Blackpool manager Sam Ellis commented, 'The signing is a bit special. It's one for the future as well as boosting our promotion chances.' And Kevin Stonehouse said, 'Sam didn't have to sell the club very hard. It has obvious potential and I'm so excited about the move that we'll be moving house quicker than we've done before.'
He made his League debut for Blackpool against Chester City on 24 March 1984 when he 'struggled to fit into the system' as the game was drawn 3-3 after Blackpool had 'tossed away a two-goal lead'. He 'swept home his first Blackpool goal' in a 1-1 draw with Stockport County on 10 April 1984 and he went on to add another four goals, including two against Colchester United in a 3-2 victory on 1 May, when he earned the headline 'Two-goal Kevin caps a corker', and the only goal of the game against Hartlepool United on 20 April, in the 13 games that he played in the 1983/84 season.
After scoring twice in the opening game, a 2-0 victory over Halifax Town on 25 August 1984 his season was plagued by a niggling knee injury but even so he played 26 League games, plus making one substitute appearance and scoring 11 goals, and he was considered to have played a key part in Blackpool’s promotion to the Third Division as runners-up to Chesterfield.
The knee injury delayed his start to the 1985/86 season and at one point it was deemed serious enough for Blackpool to consider his future at the club. But manager Same Ellis decided to keep him on the wage bill in order to give him a chance to prove his fitness. And after returning to action in two games as substitute he regained his first team place in a 2-1 victory over Chesterfield on 22 October 1985. he went on a run of 14 consecutive games, scoring two goals, before, after some disappointing results, he was left out of the team after what proved to be his final league game for the club, a 0-0 draw with Reading on 18 January 1986. He was not happy as he felt he had been made the scapegoat but Ellis threatened that he would put him on the transfer list. He had played 14 League games, made two substitute appearances and scored three goals in the 1985/86 season.
A broken leg kept him out of action in the early part of the 1986/87 season and in late September 1986 he was seeing a specialist about the possibility of a comeback. But that was delayed and he did not begin his comeback until late November 1986 when he appeared in the Blackpool ‘A’ side. He did not appear in the league side in the 1986/87 season and he was released on 11 May 1987 after a total of 56 senior appearances in all competitions for Blackpool and he scored 19 goals.
He joined Darlington in July 1987 and he played 59 League games, made 13 substitute appearances and scored 20 goals for the club, who, in March 1989, loaned him to Carlisle United, where he made just three substitute appearances.
In July 1989 Darlington transferred him to Rochdale, where he played 13 League games, made one substitute appearance and scored two goals.
When he retired from league football, he had made 252 League appearances scoring 72 goals for his various clubs.
He later played non-league football for Bishop Auckland, South Bank, Northallerton and Willington. At the last named club he was also assistant-manager and physiotherapist. He was later in charge at Shotton Comrades and he took the team up as runners-up from the Northern League Division Two to Division One in the 1998/99 season.
He subsequently returned to Darlington where he spent time working in a variety of roles, including being the Football in the Community Officer.
Latterly he was a scout at Newcastle United and he was set to assist head coach Steve Bruce at the start of a new managerial era at St James' Park for the 2019/2020 season.
He died of a heart attack on 28 July 2019 while watching a pre-season friendly game at Hillsborough, only two days after returning from an international scouting expedition.
Kevin was much loved by all the clubs with which he was involved and he will be hugely missed by family, friends and supporters.
