Freddie Steele (footballer)

Freddie Steele
Personal information
Full name Frederick Charles Steele[1]
Date of birth (1916-05-06)6 May 1916[2]
Place of birth Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England[1]
Date of death 23 April 1976(1976-04-23) (aged 59)[1]
Place of death Newcastle-under-Lyme, England[1]
Height 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Downing's Tileries
1931–1933 Stoke City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1933–1949 Stoke City[4] 224 (140)
1949–1951 Mansfield Town 53 (39)
1951–1953 Port Vale 25 (12)
Total 302 (191)
International career
1936–1937 England[5] 6 (8)
Managerial career
1946 KR Reykjavík
1946 Iceland
1949–1951 Mansfield Town
1951–1957 Port Vale
1962–1965 Port Vale
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Frederick Charles Steele (6 May 1916 – 23 April 1976) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Stoke City and England. He also had spells at Mansfield Town and Port Vale as a player-manager, leading Vale to a league title.[6] He remains a legendary figure in the histories of both Stoke and Vale. His nephew is former England cricketer David Steele.[7]

Signing with Stoke City in 1931 at the age of fifteen, he set a club record when he scored 33 league goals in the 1936–37 season. During the season, his 214-day-long international career also made for impressive reading, as he hit eight goals in six games for England. However, a series of misfortunes severely disrupted his playing career. Picking up a serious knee injury in 1937, he retired two years later after suffering from depression – aged just 23. After improving his physical and mental state, he resumed his career, only to have it cut short again, this time due to the outbreak of World War II. Guesting for several clubs, he also had a spell in Iceland where he coached KR Reykjavík. He was appointed manager of the national team for their first-ever international match in 1946. He continued his Stoke career after the war before joining Mansfield Town as player-manager in 1949.

In 1951, he was appointed as Port Vale manager. His six years with the club were some of the most significant in the club's history, as he masterminded a Third Division North title-winning season, as well the club's only ever FA Cup semi-final appearance. After the team he cultivated proved to be 'past it' by 1957, he too left the club. Returning as manager in 1962, his second spell would prove less successful, and he left the club for good three years later.

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Kenty2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Freddie Steele". soccerbase.com. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  3. ^ "England Players - Freddie Steele". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  4. ^ Stanway, Rob. "Victoria Ground Heroes – Freddie Steele". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  5. ^ "Freddie Steele". Englandstats.com. Retrieved 15 July 2007. Edit this at Wikidata
  6. ^ "Freddie Steele". Stoke City. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference 101 greats was invoked but never defined (see the help page).