Jeff Wright (footballer)

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Jeff Wright
Personal information
Full name Jeffrey Kenneth Wright [1]
Date of birth (1952-06-23) 23 June 1952 (age 73)
Place of birth Alston, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
Tow Law
19??–1974 Netherfield
1974–1982 Wigan Athletic 319 (47)
Barrow
Prudhoe East End
Gretna
Consett
Penrith
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jeffrey Kenneth Wright (born 23 June 1952) is an English former football midfielder who spent the majority of his career at Wigan Athletic.

Contents

Biography

Born in Alston, Wright played for a number of local football clubs before joining Kendal-based club Netherfield in the Northern Premier League. In February 1974, Wright was signed by Wigan Athletic for a reported transfer fee between £1,200 and £2,000. [2] [3]

Wright helped Wigan win the 1974–75 Northern Premier League, and was part of the team that were elected into the Football League in 1978. He played in the club's first ever League game against Hereford United on 19 August 1978, [4] and was an ever-present in the club's 46 league games during their inaugural season. [5] He went on to make 139 League appearances for the club, scoring 19 goals. [1]

Wright returned to non-league football in 1982, and went on to play for Barrow, Prudhoe East End, Gretna, Consett and Penrith. [3] He was appointed as Penrith's manager in 1989, but resigned a year later. [6]

After retiring from professional football, Wright moved to Bellingham, Northumberland, where he worked for an insurance company before later setting up his own business. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Jeff Wright". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  2. "Wigan sign former Alston player" . Cumberland and Westmorland Herald . 23 February 1974. p. 6 via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 Coulter, David (8 January 2010). "How Jeff Found His Goal In Life". Hexham Courant. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  4. "On This Day In 1978: Wigan Athletic's First League Fixture At Hereford United". Wigan Athletic. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  5. "Caught in Time: Wigan win election to the Football League, 1978". The Times. 26 February 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  6. "Why I quit Penrith - Wright" . Cumberland News. 7 September 1990. p. 21 via Newspapers.com.