Roy Swinbourne
Harry Royston " Roy " Swinbourne ( born August 25, 1929 in Denaby Main ) is a former English footballer. The center forward of Wolverhampton Wanderers and English champion of 1954 was one of the most promising talents of his country before the November 5, 1955 overtook him a serious knee injury that almost two years later forced him to end early career.
Sports career
Swinbourne learned to play football at times of World War II at the Wath Wanderers, that a kind of " farm team " for the Wolverhampton Wanderers were back then. On the initiative of the local coach Ted Vizard, he joined the " Wolves " and prepared in the reserve team for his future professional career ahead.
The tall center-forward made his debut on 17 December 1949 under the new athletic director Stan Cullis in the first team, remained in the 1-1 draw against Fulham but still without his first goal. This he put only nine days later in the 2:3 home defeat against Aston Villa gradually supplanted by the middle of the season 1950/51 veteran Jesse Pye from the team. With 22 official matches gates he was at the end of this season also the top scorer of his team. After an injury difficult year, he swung himself in the season 1952/53, to another career jump on and shot together with strike partner Dennis Wilshaw 38 league goals ( 21 of which he scored himself) what the club allowed the wide set on the third place. The new offensive series, which still consisted of the wingers Johnny Hancocks and Jimmy Mullen as well as from the inside forward Peter Broadbent next Swinbourne and Wilshaw, experienced a year later their sporting peak when this quintet 93 of the 96 goals scored for the first time, winning the English Championship. Swinbourne hit yourself 24 times and was closed the season with two goals for a 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur from. Even in the subsequent game time Swinbourne was in the championship fight again; his personal "highlight" but was a friendly match on December 13, 1954 against the Hungarian world-class team Honvéd Budapest. In this prestigious " floodlit game", he scored two headed goals for the 3-2 win and was part of the team that was proclaimed by the local press for the world's top football club team.
After winning the runner-up in 1955 Swinbourne started furiously in the 1955/56 season and scored 17 goals in his first eleven league matches. At the height of his athletic performance received Swinbournes career on November 5, 1955 a severe setback. While he was at the Kenilworth Road against the local club Luton Town in use, it bounced so miserable against a throng cameramen, who had moved into position on the sidelines, that he had to undergo surgery after a brief comeback attempt a few weeks later at the knee. More than a year was not Swinbourne on the hope of a return, before he realized that he would never regain his old speed back. In May 1957 gave the striker, the 114 gates for the " Wolves " shot in a total of 230 official matches, resigned his resignation.
After the active career
Roy Swinbourne now lives as a pensioner in the village of Kinver, located in the extreme southwest of the county of Staffordshire.
Achievements
- English Champion: 1954