Kevin McHale (footballer)
Encyclopedia
John Kevin McHale was an English
professional
footballer who played as a striker
for Huddersfield Town
, Crewe Alexandra
, Chester
and Hastings United.
during the 1950s and 60s and, after making his debut at just seventeen years old, he was a regular in one of the strongest Town squads of the last fifty years.
Born in 1939, McHale began his career playing for Barnsley
and England
Schools, before joining First Division
Town as a sixteen-year-old in May 1955. The Following season was to be Town's last in the top flight for fourteen years. A right-sided player was brilliant distribution and pace, Kevin's signature was much sought after by Town boss Andy Beattie
but the young player delayed signing professional forms until after he gained England Youth honours. He eventually became a full–time professional in October 1956 and made an impressive debut against Leicester City
, during which he scored Town's second in a 2–2 draw. It was the start of a long and distinguished career at Leeds Road.
Despite spending his entire Town career in the Second Division, McHale had the privilege of playing alongside some of the club's great names including Vic Metcalfe
, Les Massie
and Bill McGarry
. But there was one player with whom McHale would click more than any other player and with whom he would strike up a devastating partnership - Denis Law
.
Law made his debut three months after McHale and the teenagers immediately set about forming one of the most breathtakingly brilliant right–sided partnerships in the club's history. Kevin proved an ideal associate for Law to display his abundant ability and from making their partnership debut away at Notts County
on 24 December 1956, the duo virtually ever present until the end of the season. Leeds Road regulars suspected their budding young professionals were something special, but it was not until the Third Round of the FA Cup
in a second replay against Sheffield United
that this was confirmed. The two turned in a match winning performance, arguably their best game together, as Town won 2–1 thanks to goals from Quested and Hickson. Interestingly the game was played at Maine Road
and Law's performance had no doubt altered the eagle–eyed Manchester City
scouts. Town progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup before being knocked out by Burnley
.
During a debut season to cherish, McHale made 32 appearances, scoring 3 goals, and his place in the side was secure under new boss Bill Shankly. Over the next three seasons he made a further 96 appearances scoring a further 20 goals. He scored twelve goals during the 1959/60 season, finishing second in the scoring chart behind Les Massie. That was also the season Law left Leeds Road for Manchester City for a record transfer fee.
The following season, despite the loss of Law and the club only just avoiding relegation, McHale continued to flourish. By the time he hit his mid twenties he had already made over 300 appearances for Town and scored over 50 goals. During the early 1960s, manager Eddie Boot
came and went as Town pushed for a return to the top flight and when Tom Johnston
took the helm in 1965, McHale would enjoy just one more full season. In 1965–66
he was virtually ever present as Town narrowly missed out in promotion, finishing fourth in Division Two. He scored eight goals, but Johnston perceived lack of promotion as a failure and began to restructure the team.
As Johnston attempted to lower the average age of the team, 28 year old McHale was sidelined and from August 1966 to January 1968 he made just 12 appearances. He was soon transferred to Crewe Alexandra
.
McHale is one of the most enduring figures of Town's history and to those who saw him play, one of the most endearing. Supporters' affinity with McHale was not just down to his consistency or his awe-inspiring relationship with Law; they had seen the youngster grow and develop and so he became a true favourite.
. He remained at Gresty Road until October 1970, when he moved to Cheshire
rivals Chester
for £5,000. He made his debut in a 4–2 win against AFC Bournemouth
and was an ever–present for the remainder of the season as Chester just missed out on promotion. He remained with the club the following season and took his tally to four goals in 64 league appearances for Chester before moving to non–league side Hastings United in the summer of 1972.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
footballer who played as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
for Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
, Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, Chester
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
and Hastings United.
Huddersfield Town Days
Kevin McHale was one of the most gifted youngsters to play for Huddersfield Town and over eleven seasons he became one of Huddersfield's most consistent and familiar postwar players. Despite his inexperience he became one of the steadying figures as Town began adjusting to life in the Second DivisionFootball League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
during the 1950s and 60s and, after making his debut at just seventeen years old, he was a regular in one of the strongest Town squads of the last fifty years.
Born in 1939, McHale began his career playing for Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
Schools, before joining First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Town as a sixteen-year-old in May 1955. The Following season was to be Town's last in the top flight for fourteen years. A right-sided player was brilliant distribution and pace, Kevin's signature was much sought after by Town boss Andy Beattie
Andy Beattie
Andrew "Andy" Beattie was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He was the first manager of the Scottish national team.- Playing days :...
but the young player delayed signing professional forms until after he gained England Youth honours. He eventually became a full–time professional in October 1956 and made an impressive debut against Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, during which he scored Town's second in a 2–2 draw. It was the start of a long and distinguished career at Leeds Road.
Despite spending his entire Town career in the Second Division, McHale had the privilege of playing alongside some of the club's great names including Vic Metcalfe
Vic Metcalfe
Victor "Vic" Metcalfe was a professional footballer who was born in Barrow-in-Furness where his father played rugby league for Barrow. He was though a product of West Riding schools football and joined Huddersfield Town from Ravensthorpe BC as an amateur in June 1940...
, Les Massie
Les Massie
Leslie "Les" Massie is a Scottish footballer, who played most of his games during the 1950s & 1960s for Huddersfield Town.In 2006, he was named on Huddersfield's 100 fans' favourites of all time.- References :...
and Bill McGarry
Bill McGarry (footballer)
William Harry "Bill" McGarry was an English international football player and manager.A right-half as a player, he joined Port Vale following the end of World War II, and spent the next six years with the club. He then moved on to Huddersfield Town in 1951, where he would spend the next ten years...
. But there was one player with whom McHale would click more than any other player and with whom he would strike up a devastating partnership - Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
.
Law made his debut three months after McHale and the teenagers immediately set about forming one of the most breathtakingly brilliant right–sided partnerships in the club's history. Kevin proved an ideal associate for Law to display his abundant ability and from making their partnership debut away at Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
on 24 December 1956, the duo virtually ever present until the end of the season. Leeds Road regulars suspected their budding young professionals were something special, but it was not until the Third Round of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in a second replay against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
that this was confirmed. The two turned in a match winning performance, arguably their best game together, as Town won 2–1 thanks to goals from Quested and Hickson. Interestingly the game was played at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
and Law's performance had no doubt altered the eagle–eyed Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
scouts. Town progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup before being knocked out by Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
.
During a debut season to cherish, McHale made 32 appearances, scoring 3 goals, and his place in the side was secure under new boss Bill Shankly. Over the next three seasons he made a further 96 appearances scoring a further 20 goals. He scored twelve goals during the 1959/60 season, finishing second in the scoring chart behind Les Massie. That was also the season Law left Leeds Road for Manchester City for a record transfer fee.
The following season, despite the loss of Law and the club only just avoiding relegation, McHale continued to flourish. By the time he hit his mid twenties he had already made over 300 appearances for Town and scored over 50 goals. During the early 1960s, manager Eddie Boot
Eddie Boot
Edmund "Eddie" Boot was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League as a left half for Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town. He went on to become manager of Huddersfield Town....
came and went as Town pushed for a return to the top flight and when Tom Johnston
Tom Johnston (footballer)
Thomas Deans "Tom" Johnston was a professional footballer and football manager....
took the helm in 1965, McHale would enjoy just one more full season. In 1965–66
1965-66 in English football
The 1965–66 season was the 86th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:7 October 1965: An experiment to broadcast a live game to another ground takes place...
he was virtually ever present as Town narrowly missed out in promotion, finishing fourth in Division Two. He scored eight goals, but Johnston perceived lack of promotion as a failure and began to restructure the team.
As Johnston attempted to lower the average age of the team, 28 year old McHale was sidelined and from August 1966 to January 1968 he made just 12 appearances. He was soon transferred to Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
.
McHale is one of the most enduring figures of Town's history and to those who saw him play, one of the most endearing. Supporters' affinity with McHale was not just down to his consistency or his awe-inspiring relationship with Law; they had seen the youngster grow and develop and so he became a true favourite.
After Huddersfield
McHale arrived at Crewe Alexandra in January 1968 and four months later he had helped guide the Railwaymen to promotion from Division Four, which was followed by relegation in 1968–691968-69 in English football
The 1968–69 season was the 89th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Leeds United won the League for the first time in their history, finishing six points ahead of Liverpool...
. He remained at Gresty Road until October 1970, when he moved to Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
rivals Chester
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
for £5,000. He made his debut in a 4–2 win against AFC Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
and was an ever–present for the remainder of the season as Chester just missed out on promotion. He remained with the club the following season and took his tally to four goals in 64 league appearances for Chester before moving to non–league side Hastings United in the summer of 1972.