Derek Stokes
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Derek Stokes[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 September 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Normanton, England | ||
| Date of death | 24 May 2022 (aged 82) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bolton Wanderers | |||
| Snydale Road Athletic | |||
| 1956–1957 | Bradford City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1960 | Bradford City | 94 | (44) |
| 1960–1966 | Huddersfield Town | 153 | (65) |
| 1966–1967 | Bradford City | 32 | (11) |
| 1966–1970 | Dundalk | 62 | (29) |
| 1970 | Drogheda United | ||
| Total | 331 | (149) | |
| National team | |||
| 1962–1963 | England U23s | 4 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Derek Stokes (13 September 1939 – 24 May 2022) was an English professional footballer who played for Bradford City and Huddersfield Town during the 1950s and 1960s, as a striker.
Early life
Born in Snydale near Normanton, Stokes was the youngest of 11 children, 10 boys and 1 girl.[2]
Career
Stokes began his career with Bolton Wanderers and Snydale Road Athletic,[3] before moving from Snydale to Bradford City in May 1956.[4] He had two spells with the club which saw him score 55 goals in 126 league games.[5] He scored in 8 consecutive matches between 26 December 1959 and 6 February 1960, scoring a total of 14 goals; the record was later matched by Nahki Wells.[4]
His time at Bradford City was split by a spell with Huddersfield Town.[2] In total, he scored 120 goals in 279 Football League appearances for the two clubs.[6] He scored on both of his debuts for Bradford City and on his debut for Huddersfield.[4]
He later played in Ireland with Dundalk, scoring 58 goals in 122 goals in all competitions for the club, before finishing his career with Drogheda United.[7]
He also played for England under-23s.[5]
Later life and death
After retiring in 1970 he worked as a golf steward and publican. Stokes was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a form of dementia in 2019.[2] He retired to Charmouth in Dorset, then moved up to Wyke in Bradford.[4] He died on 24 May 2022, aged 82.[2]
References
- ^ "Derek Stokes". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d Gray, Charles (25 May 2022). "'Hero' ex-Huddersfield Town and Bradford City player Derek Stokes dies". YorkshireLive.
- ^ Derek Stokes at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d "Bradford City: Putting the record straight after glaring miss". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
- ^ a b "Former Bradford City striker Stokes dies aged 82". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
- ^ Derek Stokes at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
- ^ "Derek Stokes | History of Dundalk F.C." www.dundalkfcwhoswho.com.
- Pages containing links to subscription-only content
- Articles with short description
- Use British English from August 2010
- Use dmy dates from May 2022
- 1939 births
- 2022 deaths
- Sportspeople from Normanton, West Yorkshire
- English footballers
- Association football forwards
- England under-23 international footballers
- English Football League players
- League of Ireland players
- Bradford City A.F.C. players
- Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
- Dundalk F.C. players
- Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
- Drogheda United F.C. players