Promotion Personalities – Fred Molyneux

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

Born in Wallasey on 25th July 1944, Fred Molyneux was a kingpin in Southport’s rearguard for more than three seasons. He joined Liverpool as an amateur on leaving school, turning professional in i962, Fred was reserve to Ron Yeats and progressed no further than the Central League side.

Terry Morrall played in Southport’s opening match in the 1965-66 campaign at Hartlepool – the home side winning 3-1 – and less than 48 hours later Southport signed Fred who had originally been listed at 5,000 pounds, a fee reduced to 1000 pounds by the Football League. He made his debut against Barrow the same day and didn’t miss another League game that season. He also played in seven F.A, Cup ties, one League cup and one Lancashire Senior Cup game.

Fred played 26 League games during the promotion season. but sustained a bad injury at Newport on 10th March 1967 and did not Play again that season – Colin Alty successfully switched to centre-half. Fred also played in one F.A. Cup tie. one League Cup tie and three Lancashire Senior Cup games. He was back to full fitness in 1967-68 when he played in all 46 Third Division games, three F.A. Cup and one Football League Cup match, a Liverpool Senior Cup and 6 Northern League Cup ties, gaining a winners medal in the last of those competitions after Southport’s 6-1 win over Wigan Athletic. Fred also scored once against Brighton on 4th November 1967. At the end of that season he was voted Player of the Year by Southport Supporters.

In 1968-69 Fred played in the first six League games and three League Cup ties before being transferred to Plymouth Argyle on 11th September 1968 for 6,750 pounds. His transfer caused much criticism among supporters as it was felt he had been sold at undervalue. The fact that Argyle’s manager was Billy Bingham, whose departure had upset so many af the club’s followers only made matters worse.

At Plymouth, Fred only missed two games during his initial season, making 35 out of 40 appearances. He was dogged by injury during his second and third seasons at Home Park. After playing in the first 16 games in 1969-70 he was out of the side for four months with a thigh injury and this restricted him to 23 League games with a goal scored against Tranmere Rovers. The following season he played in the first 18 games before sustaining a cartilage injury. After two games on loan to Exeter City, he returned to Merseyside in February 1971 being transferred to Tranmere Rovers in an exchange deal that took Jimmy Hinch (later to join Southport) to Home Park. At Tranmere Rovers, Fred made 85 appearances, scoring once, before being granted a free transfer at the end of the 1972-73 season.

Fred rejoined Southport on a three months trial and was offered a contract for the season on 19th September 1973. He was only a shadow of the player he had been five years earlier, although he was playing in a struggling side where the defence was frequently put under heavy pressure. He played in 32 Football League games and one as substitute, scoring in a 2-2 draw against Rochdale at Spotland. He was released at the end of the season after completing a total of 307 Football Leagues appearances and two as substitute.

He then had a spell at Wigan Athietic, then members of the Northern Premier League, where he had 74 League games and scored once. He was with Cammell Laird in the West Cheshire League for a spell before breaking a leg in January 1979. Undaunted, he returned again and was last reported to be turning out for Poulton Vics at Easter 1980, when almost 36.

Mike Braham