Former Player Remembers: Mike Stringfellow

[davieG]

Former Player Remembers: Mike Stringfellow

Posted: Wed 22 Apr 2015

Author: Leicester City

image: http://www.lcfc.com/cms_images/news/mike-stringfellow-4-3280-2417046_478x359.jpg

In conversation with Club Historian John Hutchinson, Mike Stringfellow reviewed his career at Leicester City, which established him, between 1962 and 1975, as one of the Club’s all-time great players.

He is the only player, apart from Arthur Chandler, to appear in the Club’s top 10 lists for both appearances (370) and goalscoring (97). For much of that time, he formed a legendary partnership with inside-left Davie Gibson.

An outside-left, he played in the 1963 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. He scored the opening goal in the 1964 League Cup final victory over Stoke City, and was a League Cup finalist again the following year against Chelsea.

Injuries, which blighted his later career, prevented him from playing in the 1969 FA Cup Final. He was awarded a Testimonial by the Club in 1975.

“After I signed from Mansfield Town, I started my first full season (when Leicester finished fourth in the First Division and were FA Cup Finalists) like a house on fire. I scored six goals in the first four games but then was injured for eight weeks. (Inside-left) Davie Gibson was a good player. He was a confident guy with a good first touch, good vision and good accurate passes. We hit it off straight away. Did (manager) Matt Gillies plan the understanding between me and Davie or did it just happen? Howard Riley was great. I was a tall player and Howard was a tremendous crosser of the ball from the right wing for me and centre-forward Ken Keyworth. I got a few headed goals (out of a total of 19) that season from Howard’s crosses.”

image: http://www.lcfc.com/cms_images/news/mike-280-2417043.jpg

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Recalling the famous 1963 Hillsborough semi-final victory over Liverpool when he scored the only goal, Mike said: “After the goal, we were well battered really. We played with a back four, with Graham Cross dropping back alongside Ian King. We were one of the first teams to play a back four. Shankly said the way we played was a disgrace but next season Liverpool played the same way!”

Just before the semi-final victory over Liverpool, Leicester City had gone to the top of the old First Division. They were realistic contenders for a League and FA Cup double. In the end Leicester City, despite being hot favourites to win the Cup, were defeated in the Final by relegation-threatened Manchester United and finished fourth in the league.

image: http://www.lcfc.com/cms_images/news/mike-stringfellow1-480280-2417048.jpg

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“Our Cup Final defeat against Manchester United was the biggest disappointment of my career. Winning the League Cup the next season was a good feeling although it wasn’t that big a tournament in those days.”

Mike also recalled Matt Gillies’ management style, which brought so much success to the Club in the 1960s.

“I didn’t have much to do with him. He never came to training which was taken by Bert Johnson. When he turned up once and sat on a golf stool to watch us we thought ‘What’s he doing here?’ In fact quite often, in the second half of the season, Gillies missed the Saturday games as well. He’d be in Scotland looking for players!”

image: http://www.lcfc.com/cms_images/news/mike-stringfellow-480280-2417047.jpg

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Mike was one of the first names on the team sheet throughout the 1960s. His teammates invariably pay great tribute to his speed, heading ability, bravery and his knack of getting to balls he had no right to reach. This style of play probably contributed to his later injuries.

“My injuries started at about the time Matt Gillies left (1968). All the while Frank O’Farrell was here (1968-71). I was either playing when I wasn’t fit, or wasn’t able to train or play. This is why I missed the 1969 FA Cup Final against Manchester City. I’m sure O’Farrell used to think, ’What’s that guy doing here?’

“I had trouble with my knee. It used to balloon up. I would syringe it to draw the fluid off. Eventually I had both cartilages out from the same knee. I was never the same again, to be honest, even though I played for a few more years.

“On top of that I developed Achilles tendon trouble in the same leg. It dragged on. It was agony getting out of bed in the morning. Eventually it went and I fell down in a heap on the pitch. It was a nasty, nasty injury. It was hanging by a thread. I had an operation. The specialist said that I’d never play professional football again. But after about six months it suddenly felt alright. I started doing a bit of training. Uncannily it never gave me any trouble again.

“I’d been set leave the Club at the end of the season but Jimmy Bloomfield changed his mind and kept me. The knee still wasn’t right and I’d lost that yard of pace. I couldn’t reach the balls I used to get, but he said, ‘I just want you to make sure that you’re fit for Saturday. You needn’t bother training’. Jimmy would play me at centre-forward. I enjoyed that. I was only a bit-player by then, but I really enjoyed my last two years playing or coming off the bench.”

In 1975 the club gave Mike a testimonial match against Wolves.

“I knew it was time to finish. I’d played for about 14 years in good sides with good players. The time went really quickly.

image: http://www.lcfc.com/cms_images/news/mike-stringfellow3-480280-2417050.jpg

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“My most difficult opponent was not a high profile player but I never had a decent game against him. He was Manchester United’s Tony Dunne. He was in the paper as part of Bobby Charlton’s best ever team. On appearances, he’s about United’s third highest, but no-one ever mentions his name. I was up against him in the Cup Final. He was a hard player but fair.

“My last game was against Spurs at White Hart Lane. It was a big game. Both Spurs and Leicester were near the bottom. We were on a disastrous run. We hadn’t won for about seven games. They were three points above us, but had two games in hand. If they won they would put six points between us. If we won we’d be level. I wasn’t expecting to play but after the pre-match meal Jimmy Bloomfield said, ‘How do you feel?’ I told him I felt alright and he said, ‘OK. You’re playing!’ Interestingly enough he put me on the wing, my old position because I had been playing up front.

“Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Steve Whitworth put a cross in. Frank (Worthington) mis-hit it. I’m coming in at the far post about three yards out and I scored the first goal. Later I headed one down for Frank to smash in for the second goal.

“It was a brilliant way for me to finish. It was a really important game. I think Leicester won about the next five games on the bounce and we shot up the table.”

In November 1975, Mike became landlord of the Plough at Littlethorpe.

Mike recalled: “This followed a casual conversation with the retiring landlord who asked him if he fancied taking over the pub when he had gone. I was attracted by the idea, and after a training course at Buxton, I was accepted by Everards Brewery and took out a three year tenancy. I really enjoyed being the landlord. It was a busy pub, particularly in the long hot summer of 1976 with people sitting and drinking both outside the pub and in the adjacent park.”

image: http://www.lcfc.com/cms_images/news/mike-stringfellow2-480280-2417049.jpg

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Running the pub was hard work for the Stringfellows, even though the licensing hours were limited. In those days, the pub opened from 12 to 2pm and from 6pm until 10.30pm, (extended until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays).

The pub used to do lunchtime snacks and the skittle alley was always very popular, as was the darts team.

“The rent was £30 per week which was double that paid by my predecessor, at a time when the price of beer was only 20p a pint. Former players, like Jeff Blockley and Dennis Rofe, who both lived locally, used to visit the pub.”

Although they enjoyed the life, Mike and his wife left the pub when the tenancy expired in November 1978 as they had two young children at the time.

For the next few years Mike worked at the Wholesale Market for six or seven months and then worked for Victoria Wine before becoming a newsagent in 1985.

Now retired, Mike and his wife are regular attenders at Leicester City’s home matches, along with several other of his team mates from those successful teams of the 1960s.

Read more at http://www.lcfc.com/news/article/former-player-remembers-mike-stringfellow-2417074.aspx#ziVfoJLB4gPyuhE7.99

[weller54]

Wonderful era.. And I feel privileged to have seen Mike play many times... Fantastic memories!

[oxford blue]

Thanks for this post - very interesting.

 

I'm sure I never saw Stringy at his best - I hadn't realised the effect injuries had on him.

[pSinatra]

Bought a quarter of chewy nuts from Mike at Enderby Newsagents many times.  Too young to remember him as a player though.

 

I remember him running The Plough at Littlethorpe as well, knew his daughter & worked with her.  Went to school with Jeff Blockley's kids & see him on a regular basis, as he lives next door to one of my customers (looks a right misery).  Dennis Rofe was my next door neighbour up until I was about 9 or 10.  Small world.

[Weller in Tights]

Come on without

Come on within

You've not seen nothin'

Like the mighty String