Sandy Pate
Encyclopedia
Alexander Montgomerie "Sandy" Pate (born 15 August 1944 in Lennoxtown
, Scotland
) is a retired footballer who spent the majority of his career at Mansfield Town
. His position on the pitch was right-back.
Pate began his career at Scottish junior side Renfrew Juniors, and was signed by Watford
in 1965. He had played as a right-winger in his younger days, but was converted into a right-back at Watford, where he remained a reserve behind player-manager Ken Furphy
, a right-back himself.
In October 1967, Pate was signed by Mansfield Town, and immediately put into the side by manager Tommy Eggleston
. On 26 February 1969, Pate was a member of the Mansfield side that picked up a shock 3-0 win against West Ham United
in the fifth round of the FA Cup
to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in the club's history.
Pate remained at Field Mill until 1978, and was a member of the Mansfield teams that won the Fourth
and Third
division titles in 1975
and 1977
respectively, before retiring from the game at the end of 1977-78
, Mansfield's only season at the second tier of English football.
At the time of his retirement, Pate had made a club-record 479 first-team appearances for the club (413 of those in league
competition). The record has since been broken by his teammate Rod Arnold
, but Pate remains in second place on Mansfield's all-time appearance list. He still lives in the Mansfield area.
In June 2009, Pate was honoured by the club when the supporters' bar at the club's Field Mill
ground was renamed the Sandy Pate Bar.
Lennoxtown
Lennoxtown is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland at the foot of the Campsie Fells, which are just to the north.It is now part of the East Dunbartonshire council area but prior to 1975 was in the county of Stirling....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) is a retired footballer who spent the majority of his career at Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
. His position on the pitch was right-back.
Pate began his career at Scottish junior side Renfrew Juniors, and was signed by Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
in 1965. He had played as a right-winger in his younger days, but was converted into a right-back at Watford, where he remained a reserve behind player-manager Ken Furphy
Ken Furphy
Ken Furphy is an English former football player and manager.Despite being on the books at Everton between 1950–1951, Furphy was a lower league player with Runcorn Darlington and then Workington...
, a right-back himself.
In October 1967, Pate was signed by Mansfield Town, and immediately put into the side by manager Tommy Eggleston
Tommy Eggleston
Thomas "Tommy" Eggleston was an English footballer and manager.-Career:Tommy became a coach and manager, as well as physio, after a playing career interrupted by the Second World War and then ended prematurely by injury...
. On 26 February 1969, Pate was a member of the Mansfield side that picked up a shock 3-0 win against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in the fifth 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...
to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in the club's history.
Pate remained at Field Mill until 1978, and was a member of the Mansfield teams that won the Fourth
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
and Third
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
division titles in 1975
1974-75 in English football
The 1974–75 season was the 95th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Dave Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Manchester City, Sheffield United and...
and 1977
1976-77 in English football
The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level of points, replacing the traditional goal average tie-breaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring...
respectively, before retiring from the game at the end of 1977-78
1977-78 in English football
The 1977–1978 season was the 98th season of competitive football in England, from August 1977 to May 1978:-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month...
, Mansfield's only season at the second tier of English football.
At the time of his retirement, Pate had made a club-record 479 first-team appearances for the club (413 of those in league
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
competition). The record has since been broken by his teammate Rod Arnold
Rod Arnold
Roderick James "Rod" Arnold is an English former football goalkeeper who spent the majority of his career at Mansfield Town, having started his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers...
, but Pate remains in second place on Mansfield's all-time appearance list. He still lives in the Mansfield area.
In June 2009, Pate was honoured by the club when the supporters' bar at the club's Field Mill
Field Mill
Field Mill is a multi-use stadium in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.It is currently occupied by its main tenant, Mansfield Town.The stadium has a capacity of around 10,000 when fully open, but due to the Bishop Street Stand being closed and safety restrictions, the ground currently holds less...
ground was renamed the Sandy Pate Bar.