Kevin Hector

Kevin Hector
Personal information
Full name Kevin James Hector
Date of birth (1944-11-02) 2 November 1944 (age 79)
Place of birth Leeds, England
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1966 Bradford Park Avenue 176 (113)
1966–1978 Derby County 430 (147)
1978–1980 Vancouver Whitecaps 63 (39)
1978 → Boston United (loan) 13 (4)
1979–1980 → Burton Albion (loan) 11 (9)
1980–1982 Derby County 56 (8)
1982 Shepshed Charterhouse
1982–1984 Gresley Rovers 38 (3)
1984–1985 Belper Town
1985–1986 Eastwood Town
1986–1987 Heanor Town
1987–1994 Shardlow St James
Total 787 (323)
International career
1973 England 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kevin James Hector (born 2 November 1944 in Leeds)[1] is an English former footballer who scored 268 goals from 662 appearances in the Football League playing for Bradford Park Avenue and Derby County.[2] His 486 League appearances for Derby County is a club record. He also played in the North American Soccer League for the Vancouver Whitecaps,[3] and was capped twice for England.[1]

Career

Hector had a successful start to his playing career in the lower leagues at Bradford Park Avenue. In season 1965–66, he scored 44 league goals in a single 46-game league season[4] plus 6 goals in the first 4 league games of the following season prior to his transfer to Derby.

Tim Ward signed him for Derby County in 1966 and he was a key player in their success under the management of Brian Clough and Dave Mackay over the next few seasons, forming a formidable partnership with John O'Hare. Hector played for the Rams for a total of 12 years, during which time they won the Football League First Division championship twice (the first time in 1972 under Clough and the second time in 1975 under Mackay) and the Football League Second Division championship (in 1969), and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

He left Derby for Vancouver Whitecaps and scored 15 goals for the Canadian outfit as they won the 1979 NASL title.[5]

After his time in North America he rejoined Derby in the early 1980s.[2]

He made a record 589 appearances for Derby in his two spells, 486 of which came in league games.[6]

Hector played twice for England, his debut coming as an 88th-minute substitute in the fateful World Cup qualifier against Poland at Wembley in October 1973, when England, needing victory to qualify, were held to a 1–1 draw. With his first touch of the ball, he nearly won the game for England as his header from a corner was cleared off the line.

References

  1. ^ a b "Kevin Hector". Englandstats.com. Retrieved 29 January 2010. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ a b "Kevin Hector". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  3. ^ "North American Soccer League Players Kevin Hector". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 29 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Shaw, Phil (23 September 1992). "Avenue trek down the nostalgia trail: Phil Shaw looks ahead to Saturday's FA Cup encounter between two old rivals from the era of baggy shorts and laced footballs". The Independent. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  5. ^ "The Canada XI". TorontoFC.ca. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Derby County Club Records". Derby County F.C. 28 May 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2012.