davieG Posted 13 July 2015 Posted 13 July 2015 By Leicester Mercury | Posted: July 13, 2015 Picture one VIEW GALLERY http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-City-Player-turned-publican-Mike/story-26886718-detail/story.html?#1 Professional footballers have always faced the problem of what to do when they hang up their boots. Many Leicester Fosse and City players took over pubs. In this series, City's official historian and archivist John Hutchinson rediscovers and revisits some of these Players' Pubs. Today, it's the legendary Mike Stringfellow Following in the footsteps of Hughie Adcock and Mal Griffiths, who have already been featured in this series, Mike Stringfellow (picture one) is another legendary Leicester City winger who went on to become a publican. Stringfellow's contribution to City sides between 1962 and 1975 was enormous. He is the only player, apart from Arthur Chandler, to make an appearance 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. Stringfellow played in the 1963 FA Cup final against Manchester United. He scored the opening goal in the 1964 League Cup final victory over Stoke, 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 City in 1975. In my role as club historian, I asked Stringfellow about his career as a footballer and a publican. "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," said Stringfellow. "I scored six goals in the first four games but then was injured for eight weeks. "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." Recalling the famous 1963 Hillsborough semi-final victory over Liverpool when, wearing the No.11 shirt, Stringfellow scored the only goal, (picture two) he 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. Bill 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, 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, 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. "Our Cup final defeat (pictures three and four) against Manchester United was the biggest disappointment of my career," said Stringfellow. "Winning the League Cup the next season was a good feeling, although it wasn't that big a tournament in those days." Stringfellow was one of the first names on the team sheet throughout the 1960s (pictures five, six and seven). His team-mates invariably pay great tribute to his speed, heading ability, bravery and his knack of getting to balls he had no right to reach. That style of play probably contributed to his later injuries. "My injuries started at about the time Matt Gillies left (in 1968)," said Stringfellow. "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. "That 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, 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 all right. "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 Stringfellow a testimonial match against Wolves (picture eight). "I knew it was time to finish," he said. "I'd played for about 14 years in good sides with good players. The time went really quickly. "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 all right and he said, 'Okay. 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 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, Stringfellow became landlord of the Plough at Littlethorpe (picture nine). He said: "This followed a casual conversation with the retiring landlord, who asked me if I 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." 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 6 to 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 at a time, which was double that paid by my predecessor, at a time when the price of beer was only 20p a pint," said Stringfellow. "Former players, like Jeff Blockley and Dennis Rofe, who both lived locally, used to visit the pub." Although they enjoyed the life, Stringfellow 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, Stringfellow worked at the wholesale market for six or seven months, and then worked for Victoria Wine before becoming a newsagent in 1985. Now retired, Stringfellow and his wife are regular attenders at City's home matches, along with several other of his team-mates from those successful teams of the 1960s. Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-City-Player-turned-publican-Mike/story-26886718-detail/story.html#ixzz3fl6eDLlN Follow us: @Leicester_Merc on Twitter | leicestermercury on Facebook
mikey54 Posted 13 July 2015 Posted 13 July 2015 A vastly underrated player. I remember him in his early days but his latter days as a 'super sub' will always stick in my memory
Voll Blau Posted 13 July 2015 Posted 13 July 2015 You hear so much about the talent our sides of the 1960s had. It really is a shame that was never converted into more silverware than a solitary League Cup.
davieG Posted 13 July 2015 Author Posted 13 July 2015 You hear so much about the talent our sides of the 1960s had. It really is a shame that was never converted into more silverware than a solitary League Cup. It is and it's and winning the FA Cup is something I wish for above all else with regards to LCFC especially as winning the league is now beyond the reach of all but a few elite clubs. When I reflect back on that period in the 60s though I don't think it was taken quite so seriously there wasn't the same level of money involved for starters and didn't need to be considering players wages were highly restricted, I don't mean that the players didn't try either because they did it was more just the icing on the cake as entertainment was the name of the game and although there was plenty of vocal supporting of your team, crowds weren't segregated there was plenty of good humoured mockery of each others team and supporters but there was also a visible appreciation of good play from the opposition.
l444ry Posted 13 July 2015 Posted 13 July 2015 Very under-rated in my opinion. Was at the Tottenham game he refers to. Always remember that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane that day was like a graveyard.
fuchsntf Posted 13 July 2015 Posted 13 July 2015 The word underrated, pops up regularly for Mighty String, but honestly I believe he was a much loved player among c the faithfull .Opposition defenders always mentioned him highly, and what got forgotten, Alf Ramsey picked him a couple of times, but he got injured.Ramsey did a right up about him. "Come on within ,come on without, you'll notcsee nothing like the mighty String", became a great song from the terraces, which Liverpool fans nicked and copied for Emilyn (Hughes)
DANGEROUS TIGER Posted 15 July 2015 Posted 15 July 2015 Nick named "Bean Pole", Mike was one of Leicester's all time greats. He was deceptively fast, and always seemed to be in the right place, at the right time. He and Davie Gibson, worked to well together, and this made Leicester a lethal threat to opposition players. Heady days, under Matt Gillies,and Jimmy Bloomfield, and never to be forgotten!
Vlad the Fox Posted 15 July 2015 Posted 15 July 2015 The word underrated, pops up regularly for Mighty String, but honestly I believe he was a much loved player among c the faithfull .Opposition defenders always mentioned him highly, and what got forgotten, Alf Ramsey picked him a couple of times, but he got injured.Ramsey did a right up about him. "Come on within ,come on without, you'll notcsee nothing like the mighty String", became a great song from the terraces, which Liverpool fans nicked and copied for Emilyn (Hughes) Ha, was going to post that myself. I can remember my dad singing it to me as a kid. He still does now once in a while.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.