Keith Houchen
Encyclopedia
Keith Morton Houchen is an English
former footballer and football manager. A forward, he score 162 goals in 509 league games.
He started his career at Hartlepool United
in 1978, having previously been a youth team player at Chesterfield
. He made 170 league appearances for Hartlepool in a four year stay, before he transferred to Leyton Orient
in 1982. Two years later he moved on to York City
. In 1986 he signed with Coventry City
via Scunthorpe United
. He moved to Scotland in 1989, having signed a contract with Hibernian
. Two years later he returned to the Football League
with Port Vale
. He made his return to Hartlepool in 1993, and in 1995 he was became the club's player-manager. He retired from the game in 1996.
Other than his many years with Hartlepool, he is best remembered for his time with Coventry. He played in the club's FA Cup
final victory in 1987
, and also appeared in the 1987 FA Charity Shield
. He scored a diving header in the final itself, which earned him Match of the Day
's Goal of the Season
Award for 1986–87.
, in the north of England and went to school at Middlesbrough's St Mary's College. Not an academic by any means, he was a natural athlete and excelled at all sports. He left school at 16. He broke his leg in a motor-bike accident but recovered soon enough to begin his career in football.
without having made a first team appearance he signed with Hartlepool United
in February 1978. He would go on to score an impressive 65 goals in 170 league games for the club, making himself as the club's top scorer for four consecutive seasons, before being transferred to Second Division
side Leyton Orient
in March 1982 for £25,000.
Two years later, unhappy with the north London-based side, he returned north to York City
for a £40,000 fee. York went on to win that season's Fourth Division
championship. Unable to quite find the league form he hit at Hartlepool, he managed to score the only goal (a penalty
) in York's historic
1-0 giant-killing victory of Arsenal
in the FA Cup
. He was sold on to Scunthorpe United
for £40,000 in March 1986. Though by July that year he moved on to Coventry City
for £60,000.
He struck 7 times in 54 league games for Coventry, though it was in the FA Cup once again that he ensured his name went down in the club's history
. He bagged five goals in their 1986–87 cup-winning run, including the winning goal away at Old Trafford
against Alex Ferguson
's Manchester United
.
He is most famous for scoring a spectacular diving header in the 1987 FA Cup Final
at Wembley Stadium in a 3-2 win over Tottenham
. As well as his FA Cup winning medal, this also earned him the BBC
Match of the Day
's Goal of the Season
award for the 1987 season. This was due to the acrobatic effort involved and partly due to the incredible run he had made from deep midfield to meet the crossed ball delivered by team-mate Dave Bennett
. It is generally considered as one of the most famous goals scored at Wembley, and certainly the best headed goal.
Houchen struggled to form a regular striker role in the Coventry City team. His talismanic ability in the FA Cup rarely transferred to regular league form. In his defence, the purchasing of David Speedie
and later Gary Bannister
meant that competition was high, and a deserved run in the first team never materialised. He did however score the winning goal in November 1988 that would end one of Coventry City's lasting hoodoo's - their inability to beat their arch-rivals Aston Villa
. The jinx was broken after Cyrille Regis
had opened the scoring before Houchen's close range reaction secured a 2-1 win. It would prove to be his last goal for the Sky Blues.
Houchen left Coventry on a £100,000 transfer in March 1989 for Scottish Premier League
side Hibernian
, which enabled him to play in the UEFA Cup
. In August 1991 he returned to England with a £100,000 move to Port Vale
. Initially a regular in the first team, a torn hamstring
injury in September 1991 saw him sidelined and he struggled to regain his place. Though he was a member of the sides that won the TNT Tournament in 1992 and played fairly regularly in the 1992–93 season
. He left Vale Park
on a free transfer in June 1993 and returned to old club Hartlepool. Appointed player-manager in April 1995, his reign was to last until November 1996. The club had lost 37 of his 73 games in charge, though there was a distinct lack of money at the club.
Academy, collecting football statistics and renting out properties.
He appeared as one of the players selected for the new Wembley Stadium
's 'Walk of Fame' prior to the venue's first FA Cup
final in May 2007
, to unanimous applause from the 90,000-strong crowd. It was almost 20 years to the day from his historic goal at the old Wembley stadium, which was scored in front of 98,000 fans.
with Port Vale
Individual
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former footballer and football manager. A forward, he score 162 goals in 509 league games.
He started his career at Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
in 1978, having previously been a youth team player at 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...
. He made 170 league appearances for Hartlepool in a four year stay, before he transferred to Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
in 1982. Two years later he moved on to 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 1986 he signed with 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...
via Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
. He moved to Scotland in 1989, having signed a contract with Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
. Two years later he returned to 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...
with Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. He made his return to Hartlepool in 1993, and in 1995 he was became the club's player-manager. He retired from the game in 1996.
Other than his many years with Hartlepool, he is best remembered for his time with Coventry. He played in the club's 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 victory in 1987
1987 FA Cup Final
The 1987 FA Cup Final took place on 16 May 1987 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were appearing in their third final in seven seasons, having won the trophy in 1981 and 1982 and were strong favourites, while unfancied Coventry were appearing...
, and also appeared in the 1987 FA Charity Shield
1987 FA Charity Shield
The 1987 FA Charity Shield was a football match between Everton and Coventry City at Wembley on Saturday the 1 August 1987. Everton had won the 1986-87 Football League and Coventry had won the 1987 FA Cup Final to qualify for the season opener which was played two weeks before the new league season...
. He scored a diving header in the final itself, which earned him 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...
's Goal of the Season
Goal of the Season
In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season...
Award for 1986–87.
Early life
Keith Houchen was born in MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, in the north of England and went to school at Middlesbrough's St Mary's College. Not an academic by any means, he was a natural athlete and excelled at all sports. He left school at 16. He broke his leg in a motor-bike accident but recovered soon enough to begin his career in football.
Playing career
After leaving ChesterfieldChesterfield 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...
without having made a first team appearance he signed with Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
in February 1978. He would go on to score an impressive 65 goals in 170 league games for the club, making himself as the club's top scorer for four consecutive seasons, before being transferred to 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...
side Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
in March 1982 for £25,000.
Two years later, unhappy with the north London-based side, he returned north to 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...
for a £40,000 fee. York went on to win that season's Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
championship. Unable to quite find the league form he hit at Hartlepool, he managed to score the only goal (a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
) in York's historic
History of York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English association football club based in York, North Yorkshire and currently play in the Conference National. The club was originally formed in 1908, and played several seasons in the Midland League, before closing during the First World War. The club was reformed in...
1-0 giant-killing victory of Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in 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...
. He was sold on to Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
for £40,000 in March 1986. Though by July that year he moved on 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...
for £60,000.
He struck 7 times in 54 league games for Coventry, though it was in the FA Cup once again that he ensured his name went down in the club's history
History of Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, founded in 1883, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
. He bagged five goals in their 1986–87 cup-winning run, including the winning goal away at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
against Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
's Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
.
He is most famous for scoring a spectacular diving header in the 1987 FA Cup Final
1987 FA Cup Final
The 1987 FA Cup Final took place on 16 May 1987 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were appearing in their third final in seven seasons, having won the trophy in 1981 and 1982 and were strong favourites, while unfancied Coventry were appearing...
at Wembley Stadium in a 3-2 win over Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. As well as his FA Cup winning medal, this also earned him the 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...
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...
's Goal of the Season
Goal of the Season
In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season...
award for the 1987 season. This was due to the acrobatic effort involved and partly due to the incredible run he had made from deep midfield to meet the crossed ball delivered by team-mate Dave Bennett
Dave Bennett
David Anthony Bennett is an English former Association football player. He is most famous for playing in two FA Cup Finals; 1981 for Manchester City, when he finished on the losing side, and 1987, when he produced a Man of the Match performance as Coventry City beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2.-Playing...
. It is generally considered as one of the most famous goals scored at Wembley, and certainly the best headed goal.
Houchen struggled to form a regular striker role in the Coventry City team. His talismanic ability in the FA Cup rarely transferred to regular league form. In his defence, the purchasing of David Speedie
David Speedie
David Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
and later Gary Bannister
Gary Bannister
Gary Bannister is a former English professional footballer who played for Coventry City , Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers, West Bromwich Albion, Oxford United, Nottingham Forest, Stoke City, Lincoln City and Darlington...
meant that competition was high, and a deserved run in the first team never materialised. He did however score the winning goal in November 1988 that would end one of Coventry City's lasting hoodoo's - their inability to beat their arch-rivals 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...
. The jinx was broken after Cyrille Regis
Cyrille Regis
Cyrille Regis, MBE is a French-born English former footballer. His professional playing career spanned 19 years, where he made 610 league appearances and scored 159 league goals, most prolifically at West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City.-Early life:Regis was born in Maripasoula, French Guiana,...
had opened the scoring before Houchen's close range reaction secured a 2-1 win. It would prove to be his last goal for the Sky Blues.
Houchen left Coventry on a £100,000 transfer in March 1989 for Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
, which enabled him to play in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. In August 1991 he returned to England with a £100,000 move to Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. Initially a regular in the first team, a torn hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury in September 1991 saw him sidelined and he struggled to regain his place. Though he was a member of the sides that won the TNT Tournament in 1992 and played fairly regularly in the 1992–93 season
1992–93 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1992–93 season was Port Vale's eighty-first season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in the Second Division. John Rudge found new stars by bringing both Ian Taylor and Paul Musselwhite to the club at a combined fee of just £40,000. His team won the pre-season TNT...
. He left Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
on a free transfer in June 1993 and returned to old club Hartlepool. Appointed player-manager in April 1995, his reign was to last until November 1996. The club had lost 37 of his 73 games in charge, though there was a distinct lack of money at the club.
Post retirement
Houchen later spent his time coaching at the MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
Academy, collecting football statistics and renting out properties.
He appeared as one of the players selected for the new Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
's 'Walk of Fame' prior to the venue's first 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 in May 2007
2007 FA Cup Final
The 2007 FA Cup Final was played on Saturday, 19 May 2007 between Chelsea and Manchester United, who had come up against Premier League opposition in every round. It was the 126th FA Cup Final and the first to be played at the new Wembley Stadium...
, to unanimous applause from the 90,000-strong crowd. It was almost 20 years to the day from his historic goal at the old Wembley stadium, which was scored in front of 98,000 fans.
Biography
A 256-page biography of his footballing career entitled A Tenner & A Box of Kippers, written by Jonathan Strange, was published in 2006.Honours
with Coventry City- 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...
winner: 19871987 FA Cup FinalThe 1987 FA Cup Final took place on 16 May 1987 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were appearing in their third final in seven seasons, having won the trophy in 1981 and 1982 and were strong favourites, while unfancied Coventry were appearing... - FA Charity Shield runner-up: 19871987 FA Charity ShieldThe 1987 FA Charity Shield was a football match between Everton and Coventry City at Wembley on Saturday the 1 August 1987. Everton had won the 1986-87 Football League and Coventry had won the 1987 FA Cup Final to qualify for the season opener which was played two weeks before the new league season...
with Port Vale
- TNT Tournament winner: 1992
Individual
- Match of the DayMatch of the DayMatch 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...
's Goal of the SeasonGoal of the SeasonIn English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season...
Award: 1986–87