Jeff Astle

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Jeff Astle (13 May 1942 – 19 January 2002) was an English footballer. He played 361 games for West Bromwich Albion F.C., scoring 174 goals, and was one of the most iconic players in the history of this famous old club. He also won five caps for England.

Born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire (in the same street, or so he claimed, as D. H. Lawrence), Astle turned professional with Notts County F.C. when he was 17. His style was that of a classic centre forward; he was a protegé of the great Tommy Lawton. In 1965 he signed for West Brom for a fee of £25,000 . Of his 174 goals for the Baggies, the most notable was probably the only goal in the 1968 FA Cup final, sealing the remarkable feat of scoring in every round of the competition.

He also scored in Albion's 2-1 defeat by Manchester City in the 1970 Football League Cup final, making him the first player to score in the finals of both of the major English cup competitions.

At the height of Astle's Albion career - some say on the evening of the 1968 FA Cup Final triumph [1] - the words "ASTLE IS THE KING" appeared in large white letters on the brickwork of Primrose Bridge, which carries Cradley Road over a canal in Netherton, in the heart of the Black Country. The bridge quickly became known locally as "the Astle Bridge". After the original structure was demolished, almost thirty years later, the words "ASTLE IS THE KING - PLEASE NOTE DUDLEY COUNCIL" appeared on its replacement. Following Astle's death in 2002, a campaign was launched to have the bridge officially named in his honour.

In 1970, Astle was called up to the England squad for the World Cup finals tournament in Mexico. He won the first of his five caps, as a substitute, when England were a goal down against eventual champions Brazil. Many English supporters will remember his missing a relatively easy scoring chance that could have turned the outcome of the tournament in England's favour. Astle himself, in his characteristic self-effacing way, would in later years turn this famous mistake into the punchline of a rather ribald anecdote.

In subsequent years his fitness deteriorated through repeated injuries, and in 1974 he left Albion to join the South African club Hellenic. His final bow came with a brief spell at the English non-league side Dunstable Town F.C., where he teamed up with the equally-great George Best for one game under Barry Fry.

After his retirement he launched an industrial cleaning business; latterly he also made TV comedy appearances with Frank Skinner and David Baddiel on Fantasy Football League.

Both Albion and their fans were shocked by his death in 2002 in Queen's Hospital Burton upon Trent, at the age of just 59, from a degenerative brain disease. Failing mental ability had first become apparent as much as five years earlier. He had been an exceptional header of the ball, and the coroner found that the repeated minor trauma had been the cause of his death. (It should be noted that the leather footballs used in Astle's playing days were considerably heavier than the plastic ones of today, especially when wet.) A verdict of death by industrial injury was recorded.

Fantasy Football League returned for a number of special editions after Astle's death; the first program being preceded by a minutes silence, in the style of those held at football matches.

Astle had been worshipped as a hero by the Albion fans, who would often sing (to the tune of Camptown Races): "Astle is the king, Astle is the king, the Brummie Roaders sing this song, Astle is the king". The chant is still heard at The Hawthorns to this day. Following his death, a campaign was launched to fund a set of gates dedicated to his memory at the ground (see picture above).

The Midland Metro has a tram named after him.

[edit] Bibliography

• Astle, J (ed. Philip Osborn) (1970) Striker! ISBN 0-7207-0106-6
• Willmore, G and Homer, J (2002) King of the Hawthorns: The Jeff Astle Story ISBN 0-9534626-5-X

[edit] External links

• Jeff Astle memorabilia
• Obituary from The Guardian
• Report on coroner's verdict
• Brazil v. England retrospective

Persondata
NAME	Astle, Jeff
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION
DATE OF BIRTH	13 May 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH	Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, England
DATE OF DEATH	19 January 2002
PLACE OF DEATH	Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England

	England squad - 1970 World Cup
1 Banks | 2 Newton | 3 Cooper | 4 Mullery | 5 Labone | 6 Moore | 7 Lee | 8 Ball | 9 B. Charlton | 10 Hurst | 11 Peters | 12 Bonetti | 13 Stepney | 14 Wright | 15 Stiles | 16 Hughes | 17 J. Charlton | 18 Hunter | 19 Bell | 20 Osgood | 21 Clarke | 22 Astle | Coach: Ramsey