Don Weston
Encyclopedia
Donald Patrick "Don" Weston (March 6, 1936 in Mansfield
, England
– January 20, 2007 in Mansfield
, England
) was a former professional
footballer who played as a striker
for many football teams during the 1950s and 1960s.
as a 16-year-old amateur but did not sign a professional contract and later entered National Service
at an army camp in North Wales. He was spotted by local Third Division
club Wrexham and signed a professional contract with them after completing his military service. He scored 21 goals in 42 appearances for Wrexham in the 1958–59 and 1959–60 seasons before joining Birmingham City
for a fee of £15,000 in January 1960 and then Rotherham United
for £10,000 in December 1961. He scored 21 goals in 76 appearances, helping Rotherham United to reach the 1961 Football League Cup Final
, which they lost 3–2 on aggregate to Aston Villa
.
Weston was signed for Leeds United
by Don Revie
for a fee of £18,000 in December 1962 after the departure of John Charles
and scored a hat-trick on his home debut against Stoke City
. He made a contribution to Leeds' successful promotion season of 1963–64 but faded from the first team as Alan Peacock
and Jim Storrie
were favoured for the centre forward position. He joined Huddersfield Town
in October 1965 and later rejoined Wrexham and played for Chester City
before joining non-league clubs Altrincham
and Bethesda Athletic
.
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
, England
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...
– January 20, 2007 in Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
, England
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...
) was a former 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,...
footballer who played as a striker
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...
for many football teams during the 1950s and 1960s.
Playing career
Weston first joined Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
as a 16-year-old amateur but did not sign a professional contract and later entered National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
at an army camp in North Wales. He was spotted by local 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 Wrexham and signed a professional contract with them after completing his military service. He scored 21 goals in 42 appearances for Wrexham in the 1958–59 and 1959–60 seasons before joining 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...
for a fee of £15,000 in January 1960 and then Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
for £10,000 in December 1961. He scored 21 goals in 76 appearances, helping Rotherham United to reach the 1961 Football League Cup Final
1961 Football League Cup Final
The 1961 Football League Cup Final was the inaugural League Cup final. It was contested by Rotherham United and Aston Villa over two legs. Aston Villa won 3–2 on aggregate....
, which they lost 3–2 on aggregate to Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
.
Weston was signed for Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
by Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
for a fee of £18,000 in December 1962 after the departure of John Charles
John Charles
William John Charles, CBE , commonly known as John Charles, was a Welsh international footballer best remembered for spells with Leeds United and Juventus. Rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Wales, he was equally adept at centre-forward or centre-back...
and scored a hat-trick on his home debut against Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. He made a contribution to Leeds' successful promotion season of 1963–64 but faded from the first team as Alan Peacock
Alan Peacock
Alan Peacock is a former English footballer.He spent the majority of his career at Middlesbrough, also playing for Leeds United and Plymouth Argyle. He joined Middlesbrough in 1954 and became a regular in the side in 1958 alongside Brian Clough. Clough scored the majority of the goals, partly due...
and Jim Storrie
Jim Storrie
James "Jim" Storrie is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager, best known as a centre forward who helped Leeds United gain promotion in 1964 to the First Division.-Playing career:...
were favoured for the centre forward position. He joined Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
in October 1965 and later rejoined Wrexham and played for Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
before joining non-league clubs Altrincham
Altrincham F.C.
Altrincham Football Club is an English association football club from Altrincham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Conference North, having been relegated from the Conference National at the end of the 2010–11 season.-History:...
and Bethesda Athletic
Bethesda Athletic F.C.
Bethesda Athletic F.C. is a football club based in the Welsh town of Bethesda, in northwest Wales.The club currently play their trade in the Welsh Alliance League Dvision 1. At the start of 2009/10 they have founded a reserve team...
.
Playing statistics
| Club | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| |Apps (goals) | Apps (goals) | Apps (goals) | Apps (goals) | |
| Wrexham | 42 (21) | |||
| Birmingham City | 23 (3) | |||
| Rotherham United | 76 (21) | |||
| Leeds United | 68 (24) | 7 (1) | 3 (1) | 78 (26) |
| Huddersfield Town | 21 (7) | |||
| Wrexham | 42 (19) | |||
| Chester City | 3 (0) |