Stephen "Mandy" Hill was an English

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 a forward

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...

.

Hill began his career with his hometown

Blackpool

Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...

 club, Blackpool

Blackpool F.C.

Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

, in May 1959. He made his debut for the Tangerines on 3 October 1959, in a 3–1 defeat 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...

 at Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...

, as a deputy for the injured Stanley Matthews

Stanley Matthews

Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...

. He made a further six appearances in the 1959–60

Blackpool F.C. season 1959-60

The 1959-60 season was Blackpool F.C.s 53rd season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing eleventh, mid-table....

 campaign.

In 1960–61

Blackpool F.C. season 1960-61

The 1960-61 season was Blackpool F.C.s 54th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing twentieth....

, Hill made ten league appearances, as well as appearing in his 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...

 tie – a 3–1 second-round-replay loss at home to Leeds United on 5 October 1960.

Blackpool manager Ron Suart

Ron Suart

Ronald Suart is an English former football player and manager.-Playing days:Suart was a full-back at Blackpool, playing alongside fellow defenders George Farrow and Harry Johnston in a team which also included Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen. Blackpool reached the 1948 FA Cup Final, but Suart...

 gave Hill an extended run in the team during the 1961–62

Blackpool F.C. season 1961-62

The 1961-62 season was Blackpool F.C.s 55th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing thirteenth....

 season, after Stanley Matthews was allowed to return to 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 started 36 of the club's 42 league games, and scored his first goal in the process – the second in a 2–0 victory at home to West Ham

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...

 on September 4, 1961. He also helped Blackpool to the semi-finals of the League Cup

Football League Cup

The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

, appearing from the second round onwards.

In 1962–63

Blackpool F.C. season 1962-63

The 1962-63 season was Blackpool F.C.s 56th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing thirteenth for the second consecutive season....

, Hill's appearances were limited due to injury. He started only nine league games. The same applied for the following 1963–64

Blackpool F.C. season 1963-64

The 1963-64 season was Blackpool F.C.s 57th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing eighteenth....

 season, which proved to be his final one for the club. After losing his place to Leslie Lea

Leslie Lea

Leslie Lea is an English former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder.Lea began his professional career with Blackpool in 1960, making his debut in the opening game of the 1960–61 league campaign. He scored his first goal for the club in their fourth league game, a 3–1 defeat at...

, Hill made only nine league appearances, the final one occurring on 18 January 1964, in a 2–0 loss at home to Spurs

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....

.

Hill joined Tranmere Rovers

Tranmere Rovers F.C.

Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...

in September 1964, with whom he made over 100 league appearances.