Promotion Personalities – Dick Marshall

The following article was published during the 1989-90 season in the match day programme and is reproduced here in full.

Thanks again to Michael Braham for today’s Promotion Personality feature. Today we look at Dick Marshall, who was born in Burbage, Leicestershire. Dick attended Hinckley Grammar School and played for Hinckley School Boys despite the fact that no football was played at the Grammar School. He played rugby for the school on Saturday mornings and soccer for Westfield Rovers in the Nuneaton Amateur League in the afternoons. After playing in the Nuneaton Amateur League side that reached the final of the Featherstone Cup, he joined Leicester City’s groundstaff when he was just 16, signing full-time professional for the 1963-64 season. Dick made some 60 appearances in the Foothall Combination, playing mainly at centre-forward or on the leftwing.

Dick came to Haig Avenue in July 1965 and secured his place on the Southport right-wing when he came on as substitute for Johnny Watt after half an hour in the game against Doncaster Rovers on 25th August 1965. He was the first Southport player to appear in a Football League game as a substitute. This “revolutionary step” of allowing substitutes had only come into force at the Football League’s Annual General Meeting in June of that year. Initially substitutes were only allowed ta replace Players who were injured. In the Doncaster Rovers game, Dick Marshall had a hand in both of the goals. First. Ron Smith scored after a Marshall corner was only partially cleared and after Rovers had equalised, Marshall hooked the ball into the middle Tor Smith to head home the winner. He scored his first Football League goal in a thrilling win over Bradford Park Avenue the following month when he cut in from the right wing and scored with a fine cross-shot.

He appeared in six out of seven of Southport’s F.A. Cup-ties, missing the First Round game with Halifax Town and scored six goals in twenty-six Football League games during the 1965-66 season, also appearing twice as substitute. Retained for the following season, he only made three appearances in Southport’s Promotion winning team, scoring in the home game against City in January 1967. He was, however, the top goalscorer in the Lancashire Combination team with 18 goals in 36 Reserve matches including hat-tricks against South Liverpool and Bacup Borough.

Dick was given a free-transfer at the end season and spent a season with Kidderminster Harriers. Today’ he lives with his French born wife, Pat, whom he married the month he came to Southport, and three children in Los Angeles, having previously lived in Australia for a period. He is an electrical engineer by occupatian.