Michael 'Mick' Leach was a footballer with Queens Park Rangers

Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...

 in the 1960s and 1970s.

Leach signed professional forms in 1964 and made his debut in 1965 in a 5-0 win against Colchester United

Colchester United F.C.

Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....

. During this early period of his career he was, as part of QPR's quest to finding more gems in the East End of London

East End of London

The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...

 (himself and the Morgan twins

Roger Morgan

Roger Ernest Morgan is an English former footballer, born in Walthamstow, London, who played as a winger in the Football League for Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur....

), given coaching/scouting duties at Beaconsfield school in Walthamstow

Walthamstow

Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...

. Throughout the late 1960s he began to establish himself as a regular member of the first team and was ever present in 1968 when QPR won promotion to the 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....

 for the first time.

Leach stayed around the first team for ten years and despite at times being overshadowed by more skilful team mates such as Rodney Marsh

Rodney Marsh (footballer)

Rodney William Marsh is an English retired footballer. He was named after HMS Rodney by his father, who served on the battleship. He played for Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Manchester City, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the England national team. Lately, he has been a pundit and a commentator on the...

 and Stan Bowles

Stan Bowles

Stanley Bowles was a leading English footballer who gained a reputation as one of the game's greatest mavericks. He was a cousin of Paul Bowles.-Career:...

, he was a useful member of the squad. When called upon, he could usually be relied on to score vital goals. He played his final game for QPR in an 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...

 tie at Loftus Road

Loftus Road

Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...

 against Wealdstone

Wealdstone F.C.

Wealdstone Football Club are an English semi-professional football club who formed in Wealdstone, in the London Borough of Harrow, but are currently based a few miles away in Ruislip, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. At present, the club are members of the Isthmian League Premier Division. They...

 in January 1978. He then moved to play in the NASL

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

 for Detroit Express

Detroit Express

The Detroit Express was a soccer team based in suburban Detroit that played in the now defunct North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1980. Its home field was the Pontiac Silverdome. The Express were co-owned and directed by famous English soccer pundit Jimmy Hill who was also the managing...

 before coming home to play for Cambridge United

Cambridge United F.C.

Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...

 where he ended his career. After his playing career he had a spell as coach at Chelsea.

In total, Leach played 313 league games for QPR, scoring 61 goals. He died in January 1992, aged just 44.