Derek Hales
Encyclopedia
Derek David Hales is an English former footballer.
Hales joined Gillingham
as a youth team player in 1968 but failed to gain a professional contract and drifted into non-League football
, playing for Faversham Town and then Dartford. In 1972 Luton Town
paid £2,000 to sign him from Dartford
, but just over a year later he was sold for £4,000 to Charlton Athletic
. It was at The Valley that he made a name for himself, scoring 168 goals in 368 games in two spells at the club, making him the Addicks' all-time leading goalscorer and earning the nickname from the fans "The Killer" or simply "Killer" due to his lethal finishing in front of goal and the fact that his family owned a butchers' shop with a slaughterhouse attached to it, where Hales used to help out before becoming a professional. In between his two spells with Charlton he played top-flight football for Derby County
and West Ham United
, the team he supported as a boy. When his second spell at Charlton ended in 1985 he joined Gillingham
, where he rounded off his professional career with 9 goals in 31 games. Released by the Gills in 1986, he returned to the village in which he was born and bought the local pub
.
During his time at Charlton he was once sent off for fighting with his own team-mate Mike Flanagan
during an FA Cup
match against Maidstone United
.
He is currently a P.E teacher at The Howard School, Gillingham, Kent
.
Hales joined Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
as a youth team player in 1968 but failed to gain a professional contract and drifted into non-League football
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...
, playing for Faversham Town and then Dartford. In 1972 Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
paid £2,000 to sign him from Dartford
Dartford F.C.
Dartford F.C. are an English football club based in Dartford, Kent. After finishing as champions of the Isthmian League Division One North in the 2007–08 season, they compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division. They finished in 8th position in their first season...
, but just over a year later he was sold for £4,000 to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
. It was at The Valley that he made a name for himself, scoring 168 goals in 368 games in two spells at the club, making him the Addicks' all-time leading goalscorer and earning the nickname from the fans "The Killer" or simply "Killer" due to his lethal finishing in front of goal and the fact that his family owned a butchers' shop with a slaughterhouse attached to it, where Hales used to help out before becoming a professional. In between his two spells with Charlton he played top-flight football for Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
and 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...
, the team he supported as a boy. When his second spell at Charlton ended in 1985 he joined Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
, where he rounded off his professional career with 9 goals in 31 games. Released by the Gills in 1986, he returned to the village in which he was born and bought the local pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
.
During his time at Charlton he was once sent off for fighting with his own team-mate Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan (footballer)
Michael "Mike" Flanagan is an English former professional footballer and manager. He most recently worked as assistant manager of Margate, a post he left in July 2007....
during 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...
match against Maidstone United
Maidstone United F.C. (1897)
The original Maidstone United was an English football club that existed from 1897 to 1992. The club played in the Football League Fourth Division from 1989 until their demise in 1992. During their time in the Football League Maidstone played their games at Dartford's Watling Street Ground...
.
He is currently a P.E teacher at The Howard School, Gillingham, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.