Gordon Astall
Encyclopedia
Gordon Astall is a former English
professional football
er. He played as an outside right and represented the Football League
, the England B
team and played twice for the full England
side. At club level he made over 450 appearances in the Football League.
Astall was born in Horwich
, near Bolton
, Lancashire
. He was playing amateur football for Southampton
when he signed professional with Plymouth Argyle
in November 1947. He had previously been an unsuccessful triallist at his local side Bolton Wanderers
. His league debut came in February 1948 at home to Luton Town
, and he soon became a regular in the Home Park
side, helping Plymouth to the Third Division South
title in 1952. That same year he was selected for the England B
team.
In October 1953 he was signed by Second Division
rivals Birmingham City
for a fee of £14,000, following his Plymouth wing colleague Alex Govan
to St Andrew's
. He had played 188 league games for Plymouth, scoring 42 goals.
As a goalscoring outside right, he replaced the Scot Jackie Stewart in the Birmingham side and quickly became an important member of a side which won the Second Division title in 1955 and reached the FA Cup
Final the following season (losing 3–1 at Wembley to Manchester City
).
Full international recognition followed and he scored on his debut for England
against Finland
on 20 May 1956. He played again six days later against Germany
, but this proved to be his final international appearance.
He also took part in Birmingham's Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
campaigns, playing in the 1960 final
which the club lost 4–1 on aggregate to Barcelona
.
In July 1961, after 271 appearances for Birmingham, in which he scored 67 goals, he moved to Torquay United
on a free transfer.
He made his Gulls debut on 19 August 1961, featuring in a 2–1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace
, and went on to score 10 goals in 27 league games in a season that would see Torquay relegated back to Division Four thanks to a final day defeat away to Barnsley
, Astall scoring one of Torquay's goals in a 4–2 defeat. He played only six times the following season before retiring from the professional game.
He settled in the Torbay
area, working in insurance and coaching local club Upton Vale F.C.
In May 2000 the Torquay
Herald Express reported that he was living in retirement in Torquay and a keen golfer.
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 football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
er. He played as an outside right and represented 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...
, the England B
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
team and played twice for the full 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...
side. At club level he made over 450 appearances in the Football League.
Astall was born in Horwich
Horwich
Horwich is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest from the city of Manchester. It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway close to the...
, near Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. He was playing amateur football for Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
when he signed professional with Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
in November 1947. He had previously been an unsuccessful triallist at his local side Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
. His league debut came in February 1948 at home to 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...
, and he soon became a regular in the Home Park
Home Park
Home Park is an all-seater football stadium in the Central Park area of Plymouth, England, and is the home of Football League Two club Plymouth Argyle. The ground, given the nickname the Theatre of Greens by the club's supporters, has been Argyle's permanent residence since 1901...
side, helping Plymouth to the Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
title in 1952. That same year he was selected for the England B
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
team.
In October 1953 he was signed by 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...
rivals 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 £14,000, following his Plymouth wing colleague Alex Govan
Alex Govan
Alexander "Alex" Govan is a Scottish former professional footballer who played at outside left. Most of his career was spent with Plymouth Argyle and with Birmingham City during their most successful period in the 1950s...
to St Andrew's
St Andrews (stadium)
St Andrew's is an association football stadium in the Bordesley district of Birmingham, England. It has been the home ground of Birmingham City Football Club for more than a century....
. He had played 188 league games for Plymouth, scoring 42 goals.
As a goalscoring outside right, he replaced the Scot Jackie Stewart in the Birmingham side and quickly became an important member of a side which won the Second Division title in 1955 and reached the 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...
Final the following season (losing 3–1 at Wembley to Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
).
Full international recognition followed and he scored on his debut for 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...
against Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
on 20 May 1956. He played again six days later against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, but this proved to be his final international appearance.
He also took part in Birmingham's Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
campaigns, playing in the 1960 final
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1958-60
The second Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place between 1958 and 1960 and was won by Barcelona for the second consecutive time in a two-legged final against Birmingham City. Once again, a number of countries sent a representative team for one of their main cities, although London sent Chelsea instead...
which the club lost 4–1 on aggregate to Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
.
In July 1961, after 271 appearances for Birmingham, in which he scored 67 goals, he moved to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
on a free transfer.
He made his Gulls debut on 19 August 1961, featuring in a 2–1 defeat at home 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...
, and went on to score 10 goals in 27 league games in a season that would see Torquay relegated back to Division Four thanks to a final day defeat away to 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...
, Astall scoring one of Torquay's goals in a 4–2 defeat. He played only six times the following season before retiring from the professional game.
He settled in the Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
area, working in insurance and coaching local club Upton Vale F.C.
In May 2000 the Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
Herald Express reported that he was living in retirement in Torquay and a keen golfer.
Honours
- with Plymouth Argyle
- Third Division SouthFootball League Third Division SouthThe Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
champions 1952
- Third Division South
- with Birmingham City
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
champions 1955 - FA CupFA CupThe 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...
finalist 1956 - Inter-Cities Fairs CupInter-Cities Fairs CupThe Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
finalist 1960Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1958-60The second Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place between 1958 and 1960 and was won by Barcelona for the second consecutive time in a two-legged final against Birmingham City. Once again, a number of countries sent a representative team for one of their main cities, although London sent Chelsea instead...
- Second Division