Andy King (footballer, born 1956) facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 August 1956 | ||
| Place of birth | Luton, Bedfordshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 27 May 2015 (aged 58) | ||
| Place of death | Luton, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1974 | Luton Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1974–1976 | Luton Town | 33 | (9) |
| 1976–1980 | Everton | 151 | (38) |
| 1980–1981 | Queens Park Rangers | 30 | (9) |
| 1981–1982 | West Bromwich Albion | 25 | (4) |
| 1982–1984 | Everton | 44 | (11) |
| 1984–1985 | Cambuur Leeuwarden | 13 | (1) |
| 1985 | Örebro SK | 11 | (4) |
| 1985 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 28 | (10) |
| 1985–1986 | Luton Town | 3 | (0) |
| 1986–1987 | Aldershot | 36 | (11) |
| 1987–1989 | Aylesbury United | 2 | (0) |
| 1988–1989 | Waterford United | 2 | (0) |
| 1988–1989 | Cobh Ramblers | 6 | (1) |
| 1989 | KePS | 1 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | Southport | 2 | (1) |
| Total | 387 | (99) | |
| National team | |||
| 1976–1978 | England U21 | 2 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1989 | Waterford United | ||
| 1993–1996 | Mansfield Town | ||
| 2000–2001 | Swindon Town | ||
| 2001–2005 | Swindon Town | ||
| 2006–2007 | Grays Athletic | ||
| 2013–2014 | Northampton Town (caretaker) | ||
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Andrew Edward King (born August 14, 1956 – died May 27, 2015) was an English professional footballer. He played as a midfielder, which is a key position in the middle of the field. Andy, as he was often called, played in the Football League during the 1970s and 1980s. He made 350 appearances and scored 92 goals. He also played football in other countries. Andy King even played twice for the England under-21 team. After he stopped playing, he became a football manager for many years.
Contents
Andy King's Playing Career
Early Days and Luton Town
Andy King was born in Luton, Bedfordshire. He started his football journey as a young apprentice with his hometown club, Luton Town. In July 1974, he became a professional player for the team.
Time at Everton and Key Goals
In April 1976, Andy moved to Everton for £35,000. He quickly became a fan favorite because of his amazing skills in midfield. He was also great at scoring goals. One of his most famous goals was in 1978. He scored a spectacular goal that won Everton's first Merseyside derby in seven years. The Merseyside derby is a big local game against Liverpool.
During his time at Everton, Andy played two games for the England under-21 team. However, he never got to play for the main England national team.
Moving to Other Clubs
In September 1980, Andy joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR) for £400,000. He played his first game against Sheffield Wednesday. Andy was the first QPR player to score a goal on their famous 'plastic pitch'. This was in the opening game, but QPR lost 1–2 to Luton Town. He played 30 league games for QPR and scored 9 goals.
In September 1981, he transferred to West Bromwich Albion.
Return to Everton and International Play
Andy King returned to Everton in July 1982 and played for two more seasons. After that, he played for a Dutch team called Cambuur Leeuwarden. Then he moved to Sweden to play for Örebro SK.
In January 1985, he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers. Later that year, in December, he returned to Luton Town. He only played three league games before moving to Aldershot in August 1986. He stopped playing professional football in May 1987.
Andy King's professional playing career lasted 14 years. He scored more than 80 goals in over 310 league games.
Andy King's Coaching and Managerial Career
Starting as a Player-Manager
In January 1989, Andy King became the player-manager for Waterford United, an Irish top-division team. He played only two league games for them. He left the club seven weeks later.
He then signed as a player for Cobh Ramblers. He scored his only goal in the League of Ireland on St Patrick's Day against Shamrock Rovers.
Managing Mansfield Town
Andy was appointed manager of Mansfield Town in August 1993. He led Mansfield to the Third Division play-offs in the 1994–95 season. They lost in the semi-finals to Chesterfield. The next season, the team didn't do as well. Andy left Mansfield in July 1996 after they finished 19th in the league.
Working at Swindon Town
After Mansfield, Andy worked as a coach and a scout. A scout finds new players for a team. He was scouting for Sunderland when he joined Swindon Town in 2000. He became the assistant manager under his former Everton teammate, Colin Todd.
In November 2000, Colin Todd left, and Andy King took over as manager. He helped Swindon stay in the Second Division that season. However, he was replaced by former Liverpool manager Roy Evans in June 2001. Roy Evans only stayed for a few months. Andy King was re-appointed as Swindon manager on December 20, 2001. This happened after new owners took over the club.
The best part of his time at Swindon was in the 2003–04 season. Swindon qualified for the Division Two play-offs. They lost on penalties to Brighton & Hove Albion in the semi-finals.
Andy King was eventually let go by Swindon on September 26, 2005. This was after the team lost five games in a row. They were second from the bottom in Football League One.
Later Coaching Roles
After Swindon, he worked as a scout again. On November 23, 2006, he became manager of Conference National team Grays Athletic. But he surprisingly resigned for personal reasons on January 4, 2007.
He then became a scout for his old team, Everton. On December 3, 2007, Andy King was made Chief Scout at Championship team Plymouth Argyle. In 2010, he became Head Scout at Colchester United.
On November 30, 2011, King was appointed Assistant Manager to Aidy Boothroyd at Northampton Town. When Boothroyd was dismissed, King became the caretaker manager. He then moved to MK Dons in February 2014 to take up a scouting role.
Andy King's Death
Andy King passed away at his home on May 27, 2015. He died following a heart attack. He had also suffered a heart attack in 2009. He was survived by his wife and his daughter.
Honours
Individual Awards
- League One Manager of the Month: February 2005
