Keith Finch

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Keith Finch
Personal information
Full name Keith George Finch [1]
Date of birth(1982-05-06)6 May 1982 [2]
Place of birth Easington, County Durham, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) [2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
– Darlington
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1999–2002 Darlington 12 (0)
2002 Bishop Auckland
2002–2004 Seaham Red Star
2004–2005 Gateshead 16 (0)
2005–2006 Sunderland Nissan
2006–2008 Seaham Red Star
2008–2009 Spennymoor Town
2009–2017 Shildon
2017 West Auckland Town
2017–2018 Sunderland RCA
2018–2019 Easington Colliery
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Keith George Finch (born 6 May 1982) is an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played in the Football League for Darlington and in non-league football in the north-east of England for a variety of clubs, which included eight years with Northern League club Shildon.

Life and career

Finch was born in Easington Lane, County Durham. [2] He began his football career as a YTS trainee with Darlington. He made an unexpected debut for the club at the age of 17, in the FA Cup first round tie against Southport in October 1999, as a half-time replacement for injured goalkeeper Andy Collett. The Sunday Mirror reported that Finch produced "three super saves" to help preserve Darlington's one-goal lead. [3] He had to wait more than two years for his first appearance in the Football League, again substituting for Collett, and this time making "a string of fine saves" as Darlington beat Lincoln City 2–1 in the Third Division. [4] [5] He had a run of games in the first team while Collett was returning to fitness, [6] but when Collett suffered a collapsed lung at the beginning of March, Finch was left as the only fit goalkeeper at the club. [7] The last of Finch's 12 league appearances was in a defeat to York City on 16 March. [5] Later that month, Darlington signed Chris Porter on a pay-as-you-play basis, though with owner George Reynolds unwilling to pay, a fans' website raised money to cover Porter's wages. [8] Finch was one of several players to be released when their contracts expired at the end of the season. [9]

He signed for Northern Premier League club Bishop Auckland, [10] but his time there was interrupted by injury and he was released in early November. [11] Finch then moved into the Northern League with Seaham Red Star, [12] returning to the Northern Premier with Gateshead in October 2004. [13] After five months and 23 appearances, 16 in the league, he left. [14] He spent time with Northern League Sunderland Nissan, [15] before returning to Seaham for two seasons, in the first of which he was player of the year as the club were promoted as runners-up to the Northern League Premier Division. [16] His next port of call was Spennymoor Town: no sooner had he saved a penalty and scored his own in the shootout that took his team through to the last 16 of the 2008–09 FA Vase, than he was transfer-listed and sold to Shildon after Spennymoor received an unexpected bill. [17] He helped the club reach the semi-final of the 2012–13 FA Vase, in which they lost to Tunbridge Wells, [18] and continued as goalkeeping coach and increasingly occasional player until manager Gary Forrest and his staff left the club in January 2017. [19] Finch followed Forrest to West Auckland Town at the end of the season, [20] but moved on to Sunderland RCA early in 2017–18, [21] and spent the 2018–19 season with Easington Colliery. [22]

Finch played in goal as Hetton Lyons won the FA Sunday Cup in 2008, 2010 and 2012. [1] [23] He has also been involved with youth football club Hetton Juniors as coach and chairman. [24]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Hetton Lyons Cricket Club 2–1 Oyster Martyrs". Durham & District Sunday League. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "2001/02: English Football League Division Three: Darlington". FootballSquads.com. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "FA Cup: Gabbi rescues lucky Quakers". Sunday Mirror. London. 31 October 1999. p. 82. Retrieved 16 December 2019– via Newsbank.
    "Games played by Keith Finch in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Darlington 2–1 Lincoln". BBC Sport. 28 January 2002. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Games played by Keith Finch in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Darlington boss delighted with keeper Finch". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 15 February 2002. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "No respite for crisis-hit Quakers". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 8 March 2002. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
    "Darlington and Hartlepool updates". Evening Gazette. Middlesbrough. 13 March 2002. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "Darlington supporters pledge to help keeper". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 26 March 2002. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Experience is key to success". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 13 August 2002. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "Nelson football – disappointing week!". Burnley Express. 6 September 2002. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  11. ↑ "Honour wants winners". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 5 October 2002. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
    "Unibond League: Caffrey handed keeper's gloves". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 9 November 2002. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "The Albany Northern League Today: Hat-trick hero ensures Town are in good shape". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 13 January 2003. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "Two new signings". Gateshead F.C. 30 October 2004. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  14. ↑ "Three new signings". Gateshead F.C. 20 March 2005. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
    "Gateshead F.C. Season 2004/05". Gateshead FC Stats 1977–2014. Alan Percival. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  15. ↑ "Billingham Syn 1, Sunderland Nissan 0". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. 18 December 2005. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  16. ↑ "Bishops ready to make their Northern League return". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
    "League ponder play-offs poser". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  17. ↑ Simpson, Ray (26 January 2009). "Finch is the hero for Moors". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
    Simpson, Ray (21 February 2009). "Non-League preview". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
    "Non-League: Consett suffering with injuries". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 28 February 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  18. ↑ Simpson, Ray (31 March 2013). "Agony for Shildon as they miss out on Wembley trip". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  19. ↑ "Keith Finch". Shildon A.F.C. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
    "Keith Finch". Shildon A.F.C. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
    "Shock as Shildon AFC management resign". Shildon & District Town Crier. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  20. ↑ "New manager begins rebuilding West Auckland Town FC 'from top to bottom'". Teesdale Mercury. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  21. ↑ "Latest moves". Pitchero Non-League. 7 October 2017. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  22. ↑ "Latest moves". Non League Today. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
    Lamb, Connor (13 April 2019). "Colliers narrowly beaten by ten-man Crook". Easington Colliery A.F.C. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  23. ↑ Stoddart, Craig (27 April 2008). "Hetton reclaim Sunday cup". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
    Simpson, Ray (26 April 2010). "Rae brace seals third triumph". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  24. ↑ Havery, Gavin (6 January 2013). "House builder supports youth football". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
    Unwin, Bruce (4 November 2013). "Hetton Juniors gives opponents the blues in new kit". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
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