John Trollope (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Norman John Trollope | ||
| Date of birth | 14 June 1943 | ||
| Place of birth | Wroughton, Swindon, Wiltshire, England | ||
| Playing position | Left-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1960–1980 | Swindon Town | 770 | (22) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1981–1983 | Swindon Town | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Norman John Trollope MBE (born 14 June 1943) is a former footballer, manager and coach who served Swindon Town in various capacities for nearly 40 years.
Trollope holds the record for the number of league appearances made for one club - turning out for the Town in 770 games between 1960 and 1980, an achievement which saw him receive the MBE.
He made his debut for the club on 20 August 1960 in a 1-1 draw with Halifax Town, when he was aged seventeen and missed two matches that season. Trollope was an ever-present in the side in the 1962-63 season - a trend which continued for seven seasons. A run of 368 consecutive matches was brought to an end in August 1968, when he sustained a broken arm in a match at Hartlepool United. He didn't return to the team until January - by which time he had missed most of the Town's amazing League Cup run. He only appeared in the competition twice that season - in the first game against Torquay United, and in the victorious final at Wembley
Trollope continued to be a regular member of the side right up until the 1978-79 season, when he made sixteen appearances. He announced his retirement at the end of the season, and moved into the club's backroom staff. However, after an appalling start to the 1980-81 season, Trollope was pushed back into action - a move which allowed him to break the appearance record - previously set at 764 appearances by Portsmouth's Jimmy Dickinson. He finally retired from the playing staff at the end of that season, and replaced Bobby Smith as the club's manager early in the following season.
His time as manager was far from successful - working on a shoestring budget, he led Swindon to their first ever relegation to Division Four. He made way for Ken Beamish near the end of the 1982-83 season.
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