Kevin Godfrey (footballer)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Godfrey[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 February 1960 | ||
| Place of birth | Kennington, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger, forward, central midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1976–1977 | Leyton Orient | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1988 | Leyton Orient | 285 | (62) |
| 1986 | → Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 1988–1993 | Brentford | 140 | (17) |
| 1993–1994 | Yeading | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kevin Godfrey (born 24 February 1960) is an English retired football winger who made over 540 career appearances, most notably in the Football League for Leyton Orient and Brentford.[3]
Leyton Orient
A winger, Godfrey came through the youth ranks at Second Division club Leyton Orient (then named "Orient") and signed a professional contract in March 1977.[4] He made his debut during the 1977–78 season and finished the campaign with 16 appearances.[5] Godfrey had to wait until the 1981–82 season to make a breakthrough and he made 50 appearances and scored seven goals during a disastrous season,[6] which saw the Os relegated to the Third Division.[7]
Godfrey found his best form between 1983 and 1985, averaging over 40 appearances over the course of each three seasons and scoring 10 or more goals in each.[8] Now playing in the Fourth Division after another relegation,[7] Godfrey fell out of favour during the 1985–86 season and made just 16 appearances before joining Third Division high-flyers Plymouth Argyle on loan in March 1986.[9][10] His seven appearances brought about a positive reaction to the team's dip in form and he scored one goal during his spell, a late winner versus Bristol Rovers.[10]
Godfrey regained his Orient starting place in 1986–87 and made another 70 appearances before departing at the end of the 1987–88 season.[11][12]
Brentford
Godfrey joined Third Division club Brentford during the 1988 off-season, initially to get fit, but he became a regular member in the team after forwards Gary Blissett, Richard Cadette and Neil Smillie suffered injuries.[3] He again deputised for Blissett in the early part of the 1989–90 season, before moving back to the wing to cover for the injured Eddie May.[3] Godfrey's best season with Brentford came in 1990–91, when he made 46 appearances and scored six goals,[13] including one against Tranmere Rovers in the Bees' unsuccessful 1991 Third Division play-off campaign.[3]
He won the first silverware of his career in Brentford's historic 1991–92 season, in which they won the Third Division title.[13] Godfrey made many of his 31 appearances as a central midfielder, excelling.[3] Aged 32 and playing in the second-tier for the first time since 1982, Godfrey made 21 appearances during the 1992–93 season and scored a last-minute goal versus Swindon Town in the preliminary round of the Anglo-Italian Cup.[13] With the Bees relegated back to the third-tier at the first time of asking, Godfrey was released during the 1993 off-season.[4] He made 190 appearances and scored 25 goals during his five years at Griffin Park.[3]
Yeading
Godfrey ended his career with a spell at Isthmian League Premier Division club Yeading during the 1993–94 season.[3]
Personal life
After retiring from football, Godfrey became a taxi driver in West London and later worked for security delivery company.[14]
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