Peter Ford (footballer)

Peter Ford
Personal information
Full name Peter Leslie Ford[1]
Date of birth (1933-08-10)10 August 1933[1]
Place of birth Etruria, Staffordshire, England[1]
Date of death 17 July 2020(2020-07-17) (aged 86)[2][3]
Position(s) Half-back
Youth career
Cannon Street Youth Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1956 West Bromwich Albion 0 (0)
1956–1959 Stoke City 14 (0)
1959–1963 Port Vale 104 (5)
1963–1967 Macclesfield Town 112 (5)
Stafford Rangers
Total 230 (10)
Managerial career
Hanley Town
Milton United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Peter Leslie Ford (10 August 1933 – 17 July 2020) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Port Vale and Stoke City.[1] He later played for Macclesfield Town in the Cheshire County League.

Career

[edit]

Ford began his career as an amateur with West Bromwich Albion before joining Stoke City in 1956.[1] He was never able to force his way into the plans of manager Frank Taylor. He made just 14 Second Division appearances in three years at the Victoria Ground.[1] He transferred to Port Vale, along with Harry Oscroft, in exchange for Dickie Cunliffe and £2,000 in September 1959.[1] The club were competing in the Third Division after winning the Fourth Division title.[3]

He played 25 league and six FA Cup games in the 1959–60 season.[4] However, he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis, along with teammate Terry Miles. He spent 12 weeks in hospital recovering after the disease was fortunately caught in the early stages.[3] He missed just five league games in the 1960–61 campaign, and was a member of the side that won the Supporters' Clubs' Trophy.[4] He was dropped by manager Norman Low in October 1961, and was used as a utility player in the 1961–62 and 1962–63 campaigns.[4] He scored his first goal in the Football League on 3 September 1962, in a 4–2 win over Colchester United at Vale Park.[4] He also scored goals against Southend United, Reading (2), Shrewsbury Town, and Gillingham, taking his tally to six goals in the 1962–63 season.[4] He was released by manager Freddie Steele in the summer of 1963.[4] He finished his career in the Cheshire County League with Macclesfield Town (122 appearances 5 goals) and Stafford Rangers.[5][4] Upon his retirement from playing Ford became manager of Hanley Town, and later the coach of Milton United.[4]

Personal life

[edit]

Ford was the oldest of four boys and two girls.[3] He became a plumber after retiring as a footballer.[3]

Career statistics

[edit]
Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stoke City 1956–57[6] Second Division 2 0 0 0 2 0
1957–58[6] Second Division 5 0 0 0 5 0
1958–59[6] Second Division 7 0 0 0 7 0
Total 14 0 0 0 14 0
Port Vale 1959–60[6] Third Division 25 0 6 0 31 0
1960–61[6] Third Division 41 0 3 0 3 0 47 0
1961–62[6] Third Division 13 0 0 0 1 0 14 0
1962–63[6] Third Division 25 5 3 1 1 0 28 6
Total 104 5 12 1 5 0 121 6
Macclesfield Town 1963–64[7] Cheshire County League 39 2 5 0 7 0 51 2
1964–65[8] Cheshire County League 33 2 4 0 4 0 41 2
1965–66[9] Cheshire County League 36 1 3 0 6 0 45 1
1966–67[10] Cheshire County League 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 0
Total 112 5 13 0 17 0 142 5
Career total 240 10 25 1 22 0 277 11

Honours

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Port Vale

  • Supporters' Clubs' Trophy: 1961[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. ^ "The obituary notice of Peter FORD". Funeral Notices. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Ex-Stoke City and Port Vale midfielder Peter Ford dies at 86". Stoke Sentinel. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 104. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  5. ^ "Player Profile - F". Silkmen Archives. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Peter Ford at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  7. ^ "Stats". silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Stats". silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  9. ^ "Stats". silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Stats". silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2016.