He was brought up in Eccles and played for Lancashire Boys around 1948–49. He joined the ‘Busby Babes’ in 1951 but chose to concentrate on his apprenticeship as an engineer. Manchester City paid £2,000 when he signed from Buxton as a centre-forward, but he only made 3 appearances in their League side before Crewe Alexandra secured his transfer; there, whilst playing chiefly on the wing, he also appeared at inside-forward and wing-half. His versatility was further evidenced when he moved to full-back at Stockport County and was ever-present in their Fourth Division Championship side of 1966–67. When he signed from Port Elizabeth, Southport had to wait for clearance to come through from the South African FA, but he made a good impression during his three months at Haig Avenue to complete 430 Football League appearances in all. After scouting and coaching with Preston North End, he worked in a similar capacity in both Iceland and Norway. By 1983 he was running a hotel in Blackpool while still turning out for Bispham Town. He has also assisted various managers in the UK and Eire. More recently he has been scouting for Blackburn Rovers. His brother Frank had a ten-year Football League career with four different clubs.

Profile reproduced with Permission from:
The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport F. C., by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde (Palatine Books, 1995). ISBN 978-1-874181-14-9