David Harris (footballer, born 1953)

Last updated

David Harris
Personal information
Full name David Harris [1]
Date of birth (1953-11-19) 19 November 1953 (age 70)
Place of birth Stoke-on-Trent, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [2]
Position(s) Central defender
Youth career
Abbey Hulton United
Port Vale
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1973–1979 Port Vale 176 (8)
1979–1981 Halifax Town 71 (3)
1981–198? Stafford Rangers
Total247+(11+)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

David Harris (born 19 November 1953) is an English former football defender who had a six-year professional career in the English Football League with Port Vale from 1973 to 1979. He was voted the club's Player of the Year in 1974 and 1977. He then spent two seasons with Halifax Town, before entering the non-League scene with Stafford Rangers.

Contents

Career

Port Vale

Born in Stoke-on-Trent, his father was Wilf Harris, who had a trial with Stoke City in his youth. [3] A tall defender, rose through the ranks of Port Vale juniors after being signed from junior team Abbey Hulton United. [4] He signed his first professional contract in July 1973, with Vale then in the Third Division. He went on to make his debut in a 3–1 win over Rochdale on 3 November 1973 after Bill Summerscales was suspended and Roy Cross injured. [4] Over the course of the 1973–74 season he scored five goals in 36 games, and picked up the club's Player of the Year award. [5] His first senior goal came in a 2–1 win against Scarborough in the FA Cup on 15 December. He also scored goals against Luton Town, Tranmere Rovers, Bournemouth, and Brighton & Hove Albion.

He then fell out of favour, though he was once again a first-team regular by March 1975. He posted 22 appearances in 1974–75, scoring one goal against Swindon Town. He played 37 games in 1975–76, finding the net against Grimsby Town and Southend United. He made 48 appearances in 1976–77, forming solid centre-back partnerships with first John Ridley and then Garry Dulson, and became the first player to win the club's Player of the Year award for a second time. [6]

Harris refused a contract at the start of the 1977–78 campaign, [7] he returned to Vale Park to play a further 45 games, scoring against Plymouth Argyle and Oxford United, as Vale were relegated. He again he fell out of favour during the "Valiants" 1978–79 Fourth Division campaign and made just thirteen appearances. This time he did not regain his place, and instead was transferred to Halifax Town in May 1979. [8]

Halifax Town and Stafford Rangers

The "Shaymen" struggled in the bottom half of the Fourth Division in 1979–80 and 1980–81, and had to apply for re-election in 1981, having finished second-from-bottom of the English Football League. Following this, Harris moved on to Stafford Rangers, who were then in the Alliance Premier League.

Career statistics

Source: [9] [10]

ClubSeasonDivisionLeagueFA CupOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Port Vale 1973–74 Third Division 3234200365
1974–75 Third Division2011010221
1975–76 Third Division3222030372
1976–77 Third Division4006020480
1977–78 Third Division4124000452
1978–79 Fourth Division 1101010120
Total17681827020110
Halifax Town 1979–80 Fourth Division4435120514
1980–81 Fourth Division2700020290
Total7135140804
Career total2471123311027114

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Sproson</span> English footballer (1930–1997)

Roy Sproson was an English footballer and football manager for Port Vale. A one-club man, he holds the all-time appearance record for Vale, making 837 starts for Vale between 1950 and 1972. This includes a run of 128 consecutive appearances between April 1954 and March 1957. He is also sixteenth on the all time Football League appearance list.

Raymond Walker is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 440 games for Port Vale in all competitions between 1986 and 1997, ensuring himself a place in the club's history. He was twice the club's player of the season, and was named on the PFA Team of the Year three times. He was promoted twice with the club and also played a part in the club's highest ever post-war finish in the English Football League. With Aston Villa in the early '80s, he joined Port Vale in 1986, after a short loan spell in 1984. After eleven years at Vale Park he went into non-League football with Leek Town and Newcastle Town.

Raymond Williams is an English former footballer who played as a striker.

John Ridley was an English footballer. A versatile player able to play as a defender or midfielder, he had a twelve-year professional career in the English Football League, playing for Port Vale and Chesterfield, as well as Leicester City. He also played for non-League Stafford Rangers and for American side Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

James Alexander Arnold is an English former football goalkeeper, noted for his highly intelligent positional ability. He made 165 league appearances in a seven-year career in the English Football League.

Wayne Cegielski is a former Welsh under-21 international footballer. A defender, he played 282 league games in a thirteen-year career in the Football League.

Kenneth Beech is an English former footballer. A midfielder, he played for Port Vale between 1976 and 1981, picking up the club's Player of the Year award in 1980, also playing on loan at American club Cleveland Cobras in 1978. In 1981, he was sold to Walsall, before he moved on to Peterborough United two years later. He dropped into non-League football with Stafford Rangers in 1985, with whom he won the Conference League Cup, before he retired in 1988. He played 314 league games in the Football League, scoring 28 goals.

Russell Bromage is an English former footballer who played as a wing-back. In a fourteen-year career in the Football League he made 400 league appearances, scoring 14 goals.

Phillip Jess Sproson is an English former footballer who played as a central defender. He played in 500 matches for Port Vale and scored 41 goals, this places him second in the list of appearances for Port Vale. He was the nephew of Port Vale defender Roy Sproson and son of Jess Sproson, who played for Vale between 1940 and 1947.

John Cunliffe was an English footballer who played on the left wing. He made 309 appearances in the Football League, scoring 55 goals.

Michael John Morris was an English footballer who played as a forward. He spent time with Barking, Grays Athletic, West Ham United, and Faversham Town, before he joined Oxford United in 1964. He helped the club to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1964–65, before he moved on to Port Vale in July 1967. He helped the "Valiants" to also win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70, before he was moved on to Stafford Rangers in May 1972. After five years with Rangers he ended his career at Leek Town.

Anthony John Lacey is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Stoke City, Port Vale, Rochdale, and Stafford Rangers. He made 288 league appearances in a ten-year career in the Football League, and won promotion out of the Fourth Division with Port Vale in 1969–70. He later went into coaching with Stoke City, and served as caretaker manager for eight games in 1985. He began coaching at the Wolverhampton Wanderers Academy in 1996.

William Charles Summerscales is an English former footballer who played in central defence for Leek Town, Rochdale, Stafford Rangers, and Newcastle KB United (Australia). He helped Port Vale to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70.

Peter James Griffiths is an English former footballer who made 98 league appearances on the right-wing in the English Football League for Stoke City, Bradford City, and Port Vale in the 1980s. He also played non-League football for Bideford, Salisbury United (Australia), Newcastle KB United (Australia), Stafford Rangers, Northwich Victoria, Matlock Town and Milton United. He played in the First Division for Stoke, and helped Port Vale to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1985–86.

Stuart Chapman was an English footballer who played as a midfielder for Port Vale, Stafford Rangers and Macclesfield Town, and worked as the player-coach of Rocester. He won promotion out of the Fourth Division with Port Vale in 1969–70, and won the Northern Premier League, FA Trophy (twice) and Staffordshire Senior Cup (twice) with Stafford Rangers. He made more than 650 appearances and scored 60 goals during his 14 years at Stafford Rangers. He also led Rocester to two Staffordshire Senior League and two Staffordshire FA Vase titles.

Kevin Finney is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Port Vale, Lincoln City, Leek Town, and Stafford Rangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1927–28 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1927–28 football season

The 1927–28 season was Port Vale's ninth consecutive season of football in the English Football League. They finished in ninth place, following three consecutive eighth-placed finishes in the previous campaigns. Vale were once again looking strong in the division, yet unable to find the consistency necessary to win promotion to the top-flight. Top scorer Wilf Kirkham managed 14 goals, a whole 27 short of his previous record-breaking tally. Still one of the most successful season's in their history, they would better this finish on only three occasions over the next 85 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1929–30 Port Vale F.C. season</span> Port Vale 1929–30 football season

The 1929–30 season was Port Vale's 11th consecutive season of football in the English Football League, and their first in the Third Division North. They finished as champions and were thus promoted back to the Second Division. With 67 points they broke a division record. After winning the North Staffordshire & District League in 1909–10 it was their first league title, as well as their first ever promotion in the Football League. They also racked up a still-standing club record Football League wins in a season, winning 30 of their 42 games. They were the most southerly team in the North Division.

The 1958–59 season was Port Vale's 48th season of football in the English Football League, and their first season in the Third Division following their promotion from the Fourth Division. Progressing to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, there they set a Vale Park and club-record attendance of 49,768, in a 2–1 defeat by Aston Villa on 20 February. In the first of a short-lived Supporters' Clubs' Trophy, they lost to rivals Stoke City 5–3 on aggregate; whilst in the league they finished a respectable fourteenth, thirteen points from both promotion and relegation.

The 1975–76 season was Port Vale's 64th season of football in the Football League, and their sixth-successive season in the Third Division. Manager Roy Sproson brought Mick Cullerton back to Vale Park, and Cullerton was to become the top-scorer for the season with 21 goals. However, the ongoing success of rivals Stoke City in winning the League Cup, playing in Europe, and competing at the top of the First Division caused Vale's support to suffer. The loyal support of a few thousand fans was not enough to balance the books, and so Brian Horton was controversially sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £30,000.

References

  1. "David Harris". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  2. Rollin, Jack (1980). Rothmans football yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 186. ISBN   0362020175 . Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  3. Vickerman, Alan (5 September 2009). "Wilf recalls football days". The Sentinel. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Clipping Heroes #8: The 1970's". onevalefan.co.uk. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. Kent, Jeff (1990). The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. p. 305. ISBN   0-9508981-4-7.
  6. Harper, Chris. Sentinel Football Annual 1977-78. Stoke-on-Trent: The Sentinel. p. 21.
  7. Kent, Jeff (1990). "Surviving on a Shoestring (1969–1979)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 227–257. ISBN   0-9508981-4-7.
  8. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 128. ISBN   0-9529152-0-0.
  9. David Harris at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  10. "Stats". neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 18 October 2011.