Mickey Walker (footballer)
English footballer and coach (born 1945)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael John Walker Jr. (born 10 April 1945) is an English former professional footballer and coach.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael John Walker Jr. | ||
| Date of birth | 10 April 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Harrogate, England | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sheffield Wednesday | |||
| Rotherham United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1963-1964 | Bourne Town | 28 | (7) |
| 1964–1966 | Bradford City | 20 | (1) |
| 1966 | Rotherham United | 0 | (0) |
| 1966–1968 | Sligo Rovers | ||
| 1968 | Los Angeles Wolves | 22 | (7) |
| 1968–1969 | Mansfield Town | 2 | (0) |
| 1969–1970 | Altrincham | ||
| 1970–1971 | Stockport County | 2 | (0) |
| 1970–1971 | Chesterfield | 1 | (0) |
| Macclesfield Town | |||
| Total | 75 | (15) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| Nottingham Forest (Assistant Manager) | |||
| 1999–2006 | Doncaster Rovers (Assistant Manager) | ||
| 2006–2012 | Doncaster Rovers (Director of Football) | ||
| 2006 | Doncaster Rovers (Caretaker Manager) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early and personal life
Walker was born in Harrogate,[1] and grew up in Doncaster.[2] His father Mickey Sr. had played for Doncaster Rovers, Bradford City, Bradford Park Avenue and York City.[3] As a teenager he played cricket, trialling for Yorkshire Schoolboys at the age of 15, and later playing for England Schoolboys.[4]
He is married to Carol.[4]
Career
Playing career
After being told he was too short (at 5 ft 7) to play football by Doncaster Rovers, Walker played youth football with Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United.[4] After a spell in non-league football with Bourne Town,[5] he turned professional with Bradford City in October 1964.[6] He made 20 appearances in the Football League (scoring 1 goal) for Bradford City,[7] before returning to Rotherham United in March 1966.[6] He then moved to Sligo Rovers in Ireland later in 1966.[4]
He spent the 1968 season with the Los Angeles Wolves of the North American Soccer League, scoring 7 goals in 22 games.[8]
He later played for Mansfield Town, Altrincham, Stockport County, Chesterfield and Macclesfield Town.[1]
Coaching career
Walker worked as a scout for Liverpool and Rangers, and as a youth team coach at Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.[9] After leaving his role as Assistant Manager at Nottingham Forest,[2] Walker has held a number of positions at Doncaster Rovers, including Assistant Manager,[10] Director of Football,[11] and Caretaker Manager.[12] He was Director of Football at Doncaster from 2006 until July 2012 when he was released as part of the club's cost cutting restructuring after relegation from the Championship.[9]
A testimonial match was held by Doncaster Rovers on 1 August 2009 in honour of Walker.[13]
Sources
- Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903-1988. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 0-907969-38-0.