Andy Leaning
Encyclopedia
Andrew John "Andy" Leaning (born 18 May 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
, East Riding of Yorkshire
, Leaning had trials with York City
in 1979 at the age of 16 and he went on to play for York Railway Institute
and Rowntree Mackintosh
in the Northern Counties East Football League
as an amateur
while working for British Rail
. He later played in York's reserve team
and was offered the chance to turn professional
with the Third Division
club in July 1985. Following an injury to first choice goalkeeper Mike Astbury
, Leaning made his first team debut in a 1–1 draw at Newport County
on 6 November. He played in all of York's seven FA Cup
games in the 1985–86 season and his "finest" performance came in York's 3–1 defeat after extra time against Liverpool
at Anfield
in the fifth round on 18 February 1986, being named man of the match
following a "heroic" performance. He was able to do a "fine job" in Astbury's absence during the 1985–86 season, which he finished with 39 appearances in all competitions. He made 47 appearances for York in all competitions in the 1986–87 season.
Having made 86 appearances for York in all competitions, he was allowed to leave the club in 1987 and following a brief trial with Everton
in May 1987, where he played one game in the reserves, he joined Second Division
team Sheffield United
on 28 May. He made 25 appearances in all competitions for United before signing for Third Division team Bristol City
for a fee of £12,000 in November 1988, having initially joined on a month's loan on 27 September. After making 89 appearances for City in all competitions he joined Third Division team Lincoln City
on 24 March 1994. While at Lincoln, supporters would chant lyrics from George Formby, Jr.'s "Leaning on a Lamppost" in recognition of Leaning. He made his debut in a 2–1 defeat to Crewe Alexandra
on 26 March and after making 51 appearances in all competitions for Lincoln he signed for Scottish First Division team Dundee
in August 1996. He returned to England after signing for Second Division team Chesterfield
in October 1996, where he made 29 appearances before retiring in 2000.
at Chesterfield, later having appointments at Scarborough
and Barnsley
. He holds UEFA
'A' licences in coaching and goalkeeping coaching. He was working as a coach for the York College
Football Development Centre in 2006. He became goalkeeping coach at former club Sheffield United at the beginning of the 2002–03 season, before leaving the club in May 2010. He was appointed goalkeeping coach at former club York City on a part-time basis on 8 July. He departed the club a little under a year later on 16 June 2011 after the appointment of Paul Musselwhite
as player-goalkeeping coach.
Playing career
Born in HowdenHowden
Howden is a small market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies north of the M62, on the A614 road about north of Goole and south-west of York. William the Conqueror gave the town to the Bishops of Durham in 1080...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, Leaning had trials with York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
in 1979 at the age of 16 and he went on to play for York Railway Institute
York Railway Institute A.F.C.
York Railway Institute is a sports club in Acomb, York, North Yorkshire, founded in 1886. The club plays football, rugby, tennis and hockey. It is most notable for its football team, which won the Northern Counties East Division One championship during the 1987-88 season.-History:The club was...
and Rowntree Mackintosh
Nestlé Rowntree F.C.
Nestlé Rowntree Football Club are an English football club from York, North Yorkshire. The team as their name suggests are affiliated with the chocolate factory of the same name; Rowntree's. It was founded during Joseph Rowntree's ownership of the factory....
in the Northern Counties East Football League
Northern Counties East Football League
The Northern Counties East Football League is an English football league that was founded in 1982 by the merger of the former Yorkshire League and Midland League. The league has two divisions at present; The Premier Division and Division One which stand at the ninth and tenth levels of the football...
as an amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
while working for British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
. He later played in York's reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
and was offered the chance to turn 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,...
with the Third Division
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...
club in July 1985. Following an injury to first choice goalkeeper Mike Astbury
Mike Astbury
Michael John 'Mike' Astbury , Kippax, West Yorkshire) also known as Mick Astbury was a professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for five Football League clubs.-Playing career:...
, Leaning made his first team debut in a 1–1 draw at Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
on 6 November. He played in all of York's seven 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...
games in the 1985–86 season and his "finest" performance came in York's 3–1 defeat after extra time against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
in the fifth round on 18 February 1986, being named man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
following a "heroic" performance. He was able to do a "fine job" in Astbury's absence during the 1985–86 season, which he finished with 39 appearances in all competitions. He made 47 appearances for York in all competitions in the 1986–87 season.
Having made 86 appearances for York in all competitions, he was allowed to leave the club in 1987 and following a brief trial with Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in May 1987, where he played one game in the reserves, he joined Second Division
Football 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...
team 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...
on 28 May. He made 25 appearances in all competitions for United before signing for Third Division team Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
for a fee of £12,000 in November 1988, having initially joined on a month's loan on 27 September. After making 89 appearances for City in all competitions he joined Third Division team Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
on 24 March 1994. While at Lincoln, supporters would chant lyrics from George Formby, Jr.'s "Leaning on a Lamppost" in recognition of Leaning. He made his debut in a 2–1 defeat 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...
on 26 March and after making 51 appearances in all competitions for Lincoln he signed for Scottish First Division team Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
in August 1996. He returned to England after signing for Second Division team Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
in October 1996, where he made 29 appearances before retiring in 2000.
Coaching career
Following his retirement from playing, Leaning moved into specialist coaching and he became goalkeeping coachCoach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
at Chesterfield, later having appointments at Scarborough
Scarborough F.C.
Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season...
and Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
. He holds UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
'A' licences in coaching and goalkeeping coaching. He was working as a coach for the York College
York College (York)
York College is a further and higher education college in York, England. It offers A-levels, AVCE, HND and NVQ degrees. It is an associate college of the University of York...
Football Development Centre in 2006. He became goalkeeping coach at former club Sheffield United at the beginning of the 2002–03 season, before leaving the club in May 2010. He was appointed goalkeeping coach at former club York City on a part-time basis on 8 July. He departed the club a little under a year later on 16 June 2011 after the appointment of Paul Musselwhite
Paul Musselwhite
Paul Stephen Musselwhite is an English footballer who plays for York City as a goalkeeper, where he is also the club's Goalkeeping Coach....
as player-goalkeeping coach.