John Aldridge
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John William Aldridge | ||
| Date of birth | 18 September 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1979 | South Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1984 | Newport County | 170 | (70) |
| 1984–1987 | Oxford United | 114 | (72) |
| 1987–1989 | Liverpool | 83 | (50) |
| 1989–1991 | Real Sociedad | 63 | (33) |
| 1991–1998 | Tranmere Rovers | 243 | (138) |
| Total | 673 | (363) | |
| National team | |||
| 1986–1996 | Republic of Ireland | 69 | (19) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1996–2001 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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John William "Aldo" Aldridge (born 18 September 1958 Liverpool, England) is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager. He was a prolific record-breaking striker best known for his productive time with Liverpool in the late 1980s, and for being the first man to have a penalty kick saved in a Wembley FA Cup Final.
His tally of 330 league goals is the 6th highest in the history of English football.
Aldridge took a long time to reach the top of the game. He began his career in the mid-1970s at non-league South Liverpool, before getting his break in the professional game when, aged 20, he signed for Newport County on 2 May 1979 for £3,500.
When at Somerton Park, "Aldo", as he came to be known, played 198 times scoring 87 goals, a goal every 2¼ games, including a respectable 7 goals in just 12 FA Cup matches. He partnered Tommy Tynan and Dave Gwyther for four years at Somerton Park, helping Newport to promotion from the Fourth Division and into the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.
His first season with County, 1979–80, had been highly promising with 14 goals from 38 games as his side won the Welsh Cup and gained promotion to the Third Division. A year later he featured in the side that achieved the famous European run, though in the league he was less impressive with seven goals from 27 league games. 1981–82 was a bit better as he scored 11 times in 36 games, but in 1982–83 he did better still with 17 goals from 41 games as County narrowly missed out on promotion to the Second Division.
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