Cliff Pinchbeck

Clifford Brian Pinchbeck (20 January 1925 – 2 November 1996) was an English footballer who played as a forward. He spent six years in the Football League, between 1947 and 1953, with Everton, Brighton & Hove Albion, Port Vale, and Northampton Town. He later played non-League football for Bath City and Salisbury.

Cliff Pinchbeck
Personal information
Full name Clifford Brian Pinchbeck[1]
Date of birth (1925-01-20)20 January 1925[1]
Place of birth Cleethorpes, England[1]
Date of death 2 November 1996(1996-11-02) (aged 71)[2]
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Scunthorpe United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1947–1948 Everton 3 (0)
1948–1949 Brighton & Hove Albion 14 (5)
1949–1951 Port Vale 69 (34)
1951–1952 Northampton Town 3 (3)
1953–1955 Bath City 60 (27)
Salisbury
Total 149+ (69+)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Pinchbeck began his career at Scunthorpe United, before moving on to Everton. He played three First Division games for Theo Kelly's "Toffees" in 1947–48, before leaving Goodison Park for Don Welsh's Brighton & Hove Albion. He helped the "Seagulls" to finish sixth in the Third Division South in 1948–49. He left the Goldstone Ground and joined league rivals Port Vale for a £3,500 fee in November 1949.[1]

He made a perfect start for his new club, scoring a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Millwall at The Old Recreation Ground on 12 November.[1] He went on to finish the 1949–50 campaign as the club's top-scorer with 16 goals in 31 appearances – twice as many goals as his nearest rivals.[1] He hit 19 goals in 34 games in 1950–51, including one against rivals Stoke City at the Victoria Ground, to become the club's top-scorer for a second successive season.[1] However, he was transfer-listed and dropped from the side by manager Gordon Hodgson in March 1951, and failed to turn up at the start of the 1951–52 season, claiming illness.[1] He regained his first team place in September 1951 under new boss Ivor Powell, and hit five goals in 13 games in 1951–52.[1] He finally got his wish, and secured a move away from Vale Park in November 1951, when he was sold to league rivals Northampton Town for 'an undisclosed sum'.[1]

Pinchbeck scored three goals in three league games for Bob Dennison's "Cobblers" in 1951–52. He left the County Ground, and signed for Eddie Hapgood's Southern League side Bath City in August 1953, scoring 23 goals within his first year at Twerton Park.[4] He moved on to Western League side Salisbury in January 1955.

Career statistics

Source:[5]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Everton 1947–48 First Division 300030
Brighton & Hove Albion 1949–50 Third Division South 14500145
Port Vale 1949–50 Third Division South 2714423116
1950–51 Third Division South 3016433419
1951–52 Third Division South 12411135
Total 6934967840
Northampton Town 1951–52 Third Division South 330033
Career Total 8942969848

References
  1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 231. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. Rothmans football yearbook, 1997-98. London : Headline. 1997. ISBN 978-0-7472-7738-5. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  3. Dawson, Denis (1997). Grass Roots. Chell Publications. p. 7. ISBN 0953209008.
  4. "Past Players". ilovebathcity.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  5. Cliff Pinchbeck at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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