Ernie Hunt
Encyclopedia
Roger Patrick "Ernie" Hunt (born 17 March 1943 in Swindon
) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League
for Swindon Town
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
, Everton
, Coventry City, Doncaster Rovers
and Bristol City
, and for the Los Angeles Wolves
in the United Soccer Association
. At international level, he was capped three times for the England under-23 team. He was known as "Ernie" – a contraction of Ernest, his father's name – to avoid confusion with Liverpool
and England
striker Roger Hunt
.
when he was signed as an amateur
by Swindon Town
in 1957. He progressed through their youth ranks, made his debut on 15 September 1959 in a 3–0 defeat in the Third Division
at , which made him Swindon's youngest ever first-team player, aged 16 years 182 days, a record which stood until 1980, and signed professional forms in March 1960.
He finished as the club's top goalscorer for four consecutive seasons, and helped them win promotion
to the Second Division
in 1963. Hunt made his debut for the England under-23 team on 2 June 1963 in a 1–0 defeat to their Romanian counterparts, the first of three caps
he won at that level. Swindon were relegated at the end of the 1964–65 campaign, and Hunt left to join Wolverhampton Wanderers
in September 1965, for a fee of £40,000, which was at the time Swindon's record transfer receipt. In all competitions, he scored 88 goals from 237 games for Swindon.
Hunt was Wolves' leading scorer with 20 goals as they won promotion to the First Division
in 1966–67, and was part of the Wolves squad who, playing as the Los Angeles Wolves
, won the 1967 United Soccer Association
title. However, he made just six outings in the top flight for Wolves before the club sold him to Everton
for £80,000 in September 1967. His time at Goodison Park
was short-lived as he failed to settle, making only 12 appearances before a £65,000 transfer to Coventry City
in March 1968, just six months after arriving.
The striker was a fans' favourite during his five-year spell at Coventry and scored one of the most famous goals of English football history in October 1970, ironically against Everton. Awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area, Willie Carr
gripped the ball between his heels and flicked it up for Hunt to volley home. The match was televised on BBC
's Match of the Day
, so the goal gained huge fame, but the move was outlawed at end of the season.
He spent a loan spell at Doncaster Rovers
before leaving Coventry to join Bristol City
, where he ended his league career in the 1973–74 season. He subsequently served a number of non-League clubs.
and window cleaning. In 2008, he was living in Gloucester
.
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
) is an English former footballer who played in the Football 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...
for Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, 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...
, Coventry City, Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
and 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...
, and for the Los Angeles Wolves
Los Angeles Wolves
Los Angeles Wolves are a former United States professional soccer team, owned by Jack Kent Cooke, that played for two seasons during the 1960s...
in the United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
. At international level, he was capped three times for the England under-23 team. He was known as "Ernie" – a contraction of Ernest, his father's name – to avoid confusion with 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...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
striker Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt, MBE is an English former footballer. He was a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup.-Club career:...
.
Career
Hunt was working for British RailBritish 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...
when he was signed 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....
by Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
in 1957. He progressed through their youth ranks, made his debut on 15 September 1959 in a 3–0 defeat in 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...
at , which made him Swindon's youngest ever first-team player, aged 16 years 182 days, a record which stood until 1980, and signed professional forms in March 1960.
He finished as the club's top goalscorer for four consecutive seasons, and helped them win promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to the 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...
in 1963. Hunt made his debut for the England under-23 team on 2 June 1963 in a 1–0 defeat to their Romanian counterparts, the first of three caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
he won at that level. Swindon were relegated at the end of the 1964–65 campaign, and Hunt left to join Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
in September 1965, for a fee of £40,000, which was at the time Swindon's record transfer receipt. In all competitions, he scored 88 goals from 237 games for Swindon.
Hunt was Wolves' leading scorer with 20 goals as they won promotion to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in 1966–67, and was part of the Wolves squad who, playing as the Los Angeles Wolves
Los Angeles Wolves
Los Angeles Wolves are a former United States professional soccer team, owned by Jack Kent Cooke, that played for two seasons during the 1960s...
, won the 1967 United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
title. However, he made just six outings in the top flight for Wolves before the club sold him to 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...
for £80,000 in September 1967. His time at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
was short-lived as he failed to settle, making only 12 appearances before a £65,000 transfer to Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
in March 1968, just six months after arriving.
The striker was a fans' favourite during his five-year spell at Coventry and scored one of the most famous goals of English football history in October 1970, ironically against Everton. Awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area, Willie Carr
Willie Carr
William McInanny Carr is a former Scottish international footballer.-Career:Carr was born in Glasgow but spent part of his formative teenage years in Cambridge, where his family relocated in 1963...
gripped the ball between his heels and flicked it up for Hunt to volley home. The match was televised on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
, so the goal gained huge fame, but the move was outlawed at end of the season.
He spent a loan spell at Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
before leaving Coventry to join 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...
, where he ended his league career in the 1973–74 season. He subsequently served a number of non-League clubs.
Life after football
After retiring from the game, he did a variety of jobs, including running a pub in LedburyLedbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
and window cleaning. In 2008, he was living in Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
.
External links
- League stats at Neil Brown's site
- Stats and photo at Sporting Heroes