TWIH: Mike Stringfellow's Debut

Mike Stringfellow would appear in any Leicester City Hall of Fame. Only 10 players have made more appearances for Leicester City than Mike’s 370 and only six have scored more goals than Mike’s 97.  This remarkable Leicester City career began 52 years ago this week when Mike made his Leicester City debut in a 3-2 defeat at Everton.

Mike was signed by Matt Gillies in January 1962 for £25,000 from Mansfield Town. He was a tall and completely fearless outside-left. He quickly formed a legendary partnership with the incomparable and incredibly skilful inside-left Davie Gibson who also signed for Leicester City (from Hibernian) for £25,000 in January 1962. Davie told me he was specifically signed to complement Stringfellow’s game. It was a piece of foresight which served Leicester City very well indeed during the Club’s golden years of the 1960s.

A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of talking to Mike about his career at Leicester City.

He said: “I started my first full season (when Leicester finished 4th 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. 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. 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 Hillsborough FA Cup semi-final victory over Liverpool when he scored the only goal, Mike recalled: “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. Liverpool’s manager, the great Bill Shankly, said the way we played was a disgrace but next season Liverpool played the same way!

“Our Cup Final defeat against Manchester United was the biggest disappointment of my career.” 

Mike 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. He was one of the first names on the teamsheet throughout the 1960s until he started being troubled by injuries.

Mike’s 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 these injuries.

He added: “My injuries started at about the time Matt Gillies left (1968). I missed the 1969 FA Cup Final against Manchester City. 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. He‘d 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 fourteen years in good sides with good players. The time went really quickly.

“My last game was against Spurs at White Hart Lane,” he said. “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.

“It can be difficult when you finish. Any footballer from the 1960s, even if you were Bobby Charlton, the best player I’d ever seen, had to work when they finished playing. But I’ve been lucky. I had a good career.”

LEAD: Mike Stringfellow in 1966

1. Mike (far right, back row) in the LCFC side which were realistic contenders for the League and FA Cup double in 1962 63.

2. Mike ( centre, white kit) follows up an attack in  Leicester City’s 1963 FA Cup Final  against Manchester United

3. Mike follows skipper Colin Appleton onto the coach following the 1963 FA Cup Final

4. Mike scoring in the 1964 League Cup Final against Stoke City.