Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Arthur Horsfield | ||
Date of birth | 5 July 1946 | ||
Place of birth | Newcastle, England | ||
Playing position | Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
?? | Middlesbrough | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1963–69 | Middlesbrough | 111 | (51) |
1969 | Newcastle United | 9 | (3) |
1969–72 | Swindon Town | 108 | (41) |
1972–75 | Charlton Athletic | 139 | (53) |
1975–77 | Watford | 78 | (16) |
1977 | Dartford | ?? | |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Arthur Horsfield (born 5 July 1946 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England) is a former football striker.
He joined Middlesbrough as an apprentice - "I was in my local under eleven’s side at the age of nine, and Joe Soones, the Boro scout was the first one on the scene, knocking on my door and turning up at the matches." - and eventually made 111 appearances for the club scoring 51 league goals and helping them win promotion to the Second Division in the 1966-67 season. During his time at the club he was also included in the England Youth international team.
After an acrimonious period at Middlesbrough, he left the club in January 1969 after a heated exchange with the then manager Stan Anderson.
'When I left, it stemmed from being dropped again after we got beat 0-3 at Bristol City (January 1969). I was really angry and lost my rag. I went into Stan's office and had a right go at him. I remember we were still 'exchanging views' after I had stormed out of his office and was on my way down the stairs! (laughs) When I’d got to the bottom he shouted out "If you don’t f****** like it, you know what to do!" So I shouted back "yeah, well you can have it from me in writing tomorrow morning." Don’t get me wrong, I did actually get on well with Stan, but I was young and feeling frustrated.'
He moved to Newcastle United but only appeared as a substitute, being kept out of the first team by Welsh international Wyn Davies. He scored 3 times in his 9 appearances and attracted interest from that year's League Cup winners Swindon Town.
Danny Williams signed Horsfield to the Wiltshire club in 1969 for £17,500 (the club's record signing at the time), one of his last actions at the club. By the end of his first season he had become the club's top scorer with 22 goals.