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Andrew McCulloch (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Andrew “Andy” McCulloch is a former English
professional footballer who played for Q.P.R.
, Cardiff City
, Oxford United
, Brentford
, Sheffield Wednesday
, Crystal Palace
and Aldershot
. He played a total of 475 games in all competitions for his seven league clubs, scoring 153 goals in a career which lasted from 1970 until 1985. McCulloch was a Centre Forward
in the “Target Man” mould, being 6ft 2in (1.88 m) tall, he was good in the air, using his strong physique to hold off defenders and lay the ball off to team mates. He made one appearance for the Scotland national under 23 team.
McCulloch was born in Northampton
on 3 January 1950. He was the son of Adam McCulloch who played over 200 league games for Northampton Town
, Shrewsbury Town
and Aldershot. Andy was brought up in Hampshire, the family moving there when his father signed for Aldershot in 1953. On leaving school he attended university and obtained a Civil engineering
degree before playing full time football.
in the Hampshire League
and was subsequently invited for a trial at Tottenham Hotspur
. However nothing came of the Tottenham connection and he signed for non-league
Walton & Hersham
being part of the team which won the Athenian League
title in the 1968-69 season. McCulloch was spotted by Queens Park Rangers manager Les Allen
and he signed for Rangers in October 1970.
in the team, playing in a 5-2 home win over Birmingham City
on 17 October 1970 and scoring the fifth goal. He did not actually get paid for that debut match as he was still registered as an amateur, his professional registration coming through a few days later. McCulloch was never a regular member of the Rangers team over the next two years, making 30 starts in League matches. His days at Rangers were numbered when they bolstered their forward line by signing Stan Bowles
and Don Givens
for the start of the 1972-73 season and he was sold to Cardiff City for a fee of £45,000 in October 1972.
in both seasons. McCulloch however had good form, top scoring in both seasons, notching 30 goals in 68 matches in all competitions. It was at this time that he was called up for his only cap for the Scottish under 23 team, his Scottish parentage making him eligible even though he was born in England. Cardiff won the Welsh Cup
in both seasons that McCulloch played there, qualifying them for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
and in September 1973 McCulloch played against Sporting Clube de Portugal in the two-legged
first round tie of the cup which Cardiff lost 2-1 on aggregate to give him his only experience of European football in his career. In July 1974 he moved to another Second Division side, Oxford United in a £70,000 deal, he had a fairly disappointing time at Oxford with the team relegated in his second season (1975-76) and McCulloch making only 12 League appearances.
in his next move when he joined Brentford in March 1976 for £25,000. His move to The Bees rejuvenated his career although it was not until his second full season (1977-78) that things really started to happen when Brentford achieved promotion with McCulloch scoring 22 goals in 45 League appearances and forming a fine striking partnership with Steve Phillips who contributed an excellent 32 goals. In the Summer of 1978 McCulloch was loaned out to Oakland Stompers
of the North American Soccer League
where he made 18 appearances, scoring three goals with one assist. Back at Brentford for the 1978-79 campaign, the team consolidated their position in Division Three
with McCulloch contributing 13 goals.
was looking for a target man to partner Terry Curran
in The Owls forward line and saw McCulloch as the ideal man. Charlton was working as a pundit for ITV
on the 1979 FA Cup Final
and met McCulloch on the Wembley gantry and agreed a deal which went through officially the following month. Jack Charlton, who had a tendency to get mixed up over his player’s names often referred to McCulloch as “Ian”, confusing him with Notts County
’s Scottish winger Iain McCulloch
. The McCulloch-Curran partnership contributed 34 goals in the following 1979-80 season as Wednesday were promoted.
1980-81 saw McCulloch as Wednesday’s top scorer in their return to Division Two. In his final two years at Hillsborough
he acted as a foil for Gary Bannister
in the Wednesday attack, with Bannister scoring most of the goals and taking much of the glory, however Andy contributed seven goals in both campaigns. McCulloch played in the 1983 FA Cup
semi final at Highbury
when Wednesday were defeated by Brighton
. In August 1983 McCulloch was sold to Crystal Palace
for a fee of £20,000 as new manager Howard Wilkinson
brought in Imre Varadi
to partner Bannister.
doing the same line of work. The firm is still flourishing today having contracts to clean many big London hotels as well as individual customers. Andy is still involved in football being the manager of part time Esher United of the Kingston District League.
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 footballer who played for Q.P.R.
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...
, Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
, Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
, Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
and Aldershot
Aldershot F.C.
Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...
. He played a total of 475 games in all competitions for his seven league clubs, scoring 153 goals in a career which lasted from 1970 until 1985. McCulloch was a Centre Forward
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...
in the “Target Man” mould, being 6ft 2in (1.88 m) tall, he was good in the air, using his strong physique to hold off defenders and lay the ball off to team mates. He made one appearance for the Scotland national under 23 team.
McCulloch was born in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
on 3 January 1950. He was the son of Adam McCulloch who played over 200 league games for Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
and Aldershot. Andy was brought up in Hampshire, the family moving there when his father signed for Aldershot in 1953. On leaving school he attended university and obtained a Civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
degree before playing full time football.
Playing career
Andy McCulloch first made a name for himself as a teenager playing for Fleet TownFleet Town F.C.
Fleet Town Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Fleet, Hampshire, England. They were established in 1890 and joined the Athenian League in 1979. In 2004, they joined the Isthmian League First Division, were moved into the Southern League Division One South & West in 2007,...
in the Hampshire League
Hampshire League
Hampshire League is a name used for two distinct football competitions based in Hampshire, England. There are two leagues; Hampshire Premier Football League named 'Puma Engineering Hampshire Premier Football League' for sponsor purposes and the division below which is the Hampshire League 2004 or...
and was subsequently invited for a trial at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. However nothing came of the Tottenham connection and he signed for non-league
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
Walton & Hersham
Walton & Hersham F.C.
Walton & Hersham F.C. is an English football club located in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, currently playing in the Isthmian League Division One South. They play in a red and white home kit at Stompond Lane....
being part of the team which won the Athenian League
Athenian League
The Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was formed in 1912 with ten clubs, but had to close down in 1914 due to the onset of World War I. When it reformed in 1920, only three of the previous teams rejoined...
title in the 1968-69 season. McCulloch was spotted by Queens Park Rangers manager Les Allen
Les Allen
Leslie William Allen is a former English footballer and manager.As a player, 16 year-old Les Allen made his senior football debut in February 1953 for Briggs Sports in an unforgettable FA Amateur cup quarter final tie at Victoria Road, Dagenham against the holders Pegasus, the great amateur team...
and he signed for Rangers in October 1970.
Queens Park Rangers
The 20 year old McCulloch made his Ranger’s debut immediately, replacing Frank SaulFrank Saul (footballer)
Frank Lander Saul was a professional footballer who played most of his career for Tottenham Hotspur....
in the team, playing in a 5-2 home win over Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
on 17 October 1970 and scoring the fifth goal. He did not actually get paid for that debut match as he was still registered as an amateur, his professional registration coming through a few days later. McCulloch was never a regular member of the Rangers team over the next two years, making 30 starts in League matches. His days at Rangers were numbered when they bolstered their forward line by signing 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:...
and Don Givens
Don Givens
Daniel Joseph "Don" Givens is a football player and coach, and former Republic of Ireland U21 team manager...
for the start of the 1972-73 season and he was sold to Cardiff City for a fee of £45,000 in October 1972.
Cardiff City and Oxford United
In his two years at Cardiff the team had a fairly mediocre time finishing near the bottom of Division TwoFootball 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...
in both seasons. McCulloch however had good form, top scoring in both seasons, notching 30 goals in 68 matches in all competitions. It was at this time that he was called up for his only cap for the Scottish under 23 team, his Scottish parentage making him eligible even though he was born in England. Cardiff won the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
in both seasons that McCulloch played there, qualifying them for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
and in September 1973 McCulloch played against Sporting Clube de Portugal in the two-legged
Two-legged match
In sport , a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or legs, with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of the scores of the two legs...
first round tie of the cup which Cardiff lost 2-1 on aggregate to give him his only experience of European football in his career. In July 1974 he moved to another Second Division side, Oxford United in a £70,000 deal, he had a fairly disappointing time at Oxford with the team relegated in his second season (1975-76) and McCulloch making only 12 League appearances.
Brentford
With his career stalling McCulloch was forced to drop down to Division FourFootball 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...
in his next move when he joined Brentford in March 1976 for £25,000. His move to The Bees rejuvenated his career although it was not until his second full season (1977-78) that things really started to happen when Brentford achieved promotion with McCulloch scoring 22 goals in 45 League appearances and forming a fine striking partnership with Steve Phillips who contributed an excellent 32 goals. In the Summer of 1978 McCulloch was loaned out to Oakland Stompers
Oakland Stompers
The Oakland Stompers were a soccer team in the North American Soccer League which played the 1978 season in the NASL. The Stompers played in the Western Division of the American Conference and finished the year with a 12-18 record...
of the North American Soccer League
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:...
where he made 18 appearances, scoring three goals with one assist. Back at Brentford for the 1978-79 campaign, the team consolidated their position in Division Three
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...
with McCulloch contributing 13 goals.
Sheffield Wednesday
McCulloch’s time as a Brentford player came to an end in May 1979 when he was persuaded to join Third Division Sheffield Wednesday. Wednesday manager Jack CharltonJack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
was looking for a target man to partner Terry Curran
Terry Curran
Edward Terence Curran is a former English professional footballer whose career lasted from 1975 to 1988. Curran was an attacking midfielder, who could also play as a winger, he could also play as an out and out Striker...
in The Owls forward line and saw McCulloch as the ideal man. Charlton was working as a pundit for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
on the 1979 FA Cup Final
1979 FA Cup Final
The 1979 FA Cup Final was a football match played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final. For over 85 minutes the game had been unremarkable, with Arsenal taking...
and met McCulloch on the Wembley gantry and agreed a deal which went through officially the following month. Jack Charlton, who had a tendency to get mixed up over his player’s names often referred to McCulloch as “Ian”, confusing him with 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...
’s Scottish winger Iain McCulloch
Iain McCulloch
Iain McCulloch was a Scottish association football player.Playing as a winger or forward, McCulloch began his career with his hometown club Kilmarnock before joining Notts County in 1978. He won promotion with the Magpies in 1980–81, and was their top scorer in the First Division for two...
. The McCulloch-Curran partnership contributed 34 goals in the following 1979-80 season as Wednesday were promoted.
1980-81 saw McCulloch as Wednesday’s top scorer in their return to Division Two. In his final two years at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
he acted as a foil for Gary Bannister
Gary Bannister
Gary Bannister is a former English professional footballer who played for Coventry City , Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers, West Bromwich Albion, Oxford United, Nottingham Forest, Stoke City, Lincoln City and Darlington...
in the Wednesday attack, with Bannister scoring most of the goals and taking much of the glory, however Andy contributed seven goals in both campaigns. McCulloch played in the 1983 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...
semi final at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
when Wednesday were defeated by Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
. In August 1983 McCulloch was sold to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
for a fee of £20,000 as new manager Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson is a former English football player and manager, and has recently stepped down as a Non-Executive Director at Sheffield Wednesday after formerly relinquishing the chairman role to Milan Mandaric...
brought in Imre Varadi
Imre Varadi
Imre Varadi is an English former professional footballer of Hungarian origin, known as a journeyman forward who appeared for 16 different clubs at all levels of professional football in England.-Playing career:...
to partner Bannister.
Latter career and retirement
At the end of his contract at Sheffield Wednesday McCulloch returned to the south of England to play for Crystal Palace for a season. In April 1984 he returned to Hillsborough to play for Crystal Palace in a League match and received a standing ovation from the supporters, McCulloch has said this is one of his fondest memories of his playing days. He played the 1984-85 season with Aldershot but picked up a bad knee injury and this forced him to end his playing career at the age of 35. On retiring Andy worked for a company that cleaned household upholstery and hotel rooms, in 1989 he opened his own cleaning business, Cardinal Cleaning in Molesey, SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
doing the same line of work. The firm is still flourishing today having contracts to clean many big London hotels as well as individual customers. Andy is still involved in football being the manager of part time Esher United of the Kingston District League.