Cliff Sear
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Reginald Clifford Sear | ||
| Date of birth | 22 September 1936 | ||
| Place of birth | Rhostyllen, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 8 July 2000 (aged 63) | ||
| Place of death | Chester, England | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| ?–1957 | Oswestry Town | ||
| 1957–1968 | Manchester City | 248 | (1) |
| 1969–1970 | Chester | 49 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 1962 | Wales | 1 | (0) |
| ? | Wales under 23s | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1982 | Chester City | ||
| 1984 | Chester City (caretaker) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Cliff Sear (22 September 1936 – 8 July 2000) was a Welsh football left back who played for Manchester City between 1956 and 1967. During this time he made 250 appearances for the team and scored 1 goal.
He was captain of the Welsh under 23 team for which he made 2 appearances and also won one cap for Wales in a game against England in November 1962. Sear had joined City as a youngster from Oswestry Town.
In 1968, Sear joined Chester, initially as a player. He scored on his debut against York City in August 1968, doubling his tally of Football League goals in his 14-year career. However, the vast majority of his 19-year service to the club would be in coaching capacities. Between March 1982 and November 1982 he was manager of the club (initially as caretaker), but he did not enjoy this role and happily returned to working with the youth team and helping his successors in the manager's chair. He did though have another tenure as caretaker manager the helm in January 1984, after previous caretaker manager Trevor Storton stepped down as the club awaited the appointment of John McGrath.
Sear is largely credited for helping discover Ian Rush, having helped guide him through Chester's youth set-up in the late 1970s. During much of his time at the club, Sear was the trusted right-hand man to Alan Oakes, who had coincidentally been a team-mate at Manchester City.
Other players to emerge from Sear's youth system and enjoy successful league careers include Brian Croft, twins Paul and Ron Futcher, Chris Lightfoot, Robbie Painter, Mike Williams and Colin Woodthorpe.
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