542 Chris Galvin

Biography

Chris Galvin was a midfielder turned tricky winger, renowned for his eponymous “shuffle”, who spent six years at City in the 1970s. He joined the Tigers in July 1973 for a £40,000 fee and scored on his Tigers debut in a Watney Cup tie against Mansfield Town, a quaint pre-season tournament contested by the highest scoring teams during the previous league season. Galvin was held back by City manager Terry Neill at the start of the League campaign and was eased into the first team from October 1973 onwards before dropping out of the side again in January 1974.

For the next two seasons Galvin was a first team regular for Neill and his replacement John Kaye, whose cautious approach ensured City made fourteenth spot in the Division Two table their own. After starting the 1976/77 season on the fringes of the first team, between December 1976 and April 1977 Galvin had a four month loan spell at Division Three side York City where he scored six goals in 22 appearances. He returned to Boothferry Park in April 1977 but in the 1977/78 season City sank to the foot of the Division Two table as Galvin’s influence declined further. He played irregularly for the Tigers in the 1978/79 season as manager Ken Houghton sought to consolidate in Division Three after relegation, and Chris contributed four goals between January and April 1979. He was handed a free transfer by Hull City in April 1979 so that he could join Australian side Hellas, but that move fell through and he was a free agent for a short period before signing for Stockport County.

Christopher “Chris” Galvin was born in Huddersfield and attended St Gregory’s Grammar School. He was an accomplished teenage footballer and cricketer, playing for Huddersfield Boys in both sports. He joined Division One giants Leeds United on apprentice professional terms in August 1967 and as he progressed through the Whites’ youth team setup he signed his first professional contract in November 1968, then was called up to play a trial match for England’s Youth squad in November 1969.

Chris made his Leeds United debut in November 1969 in the unlikely surroundings of the Ulloi Uti Stadium in Hungarian capital Budapest, coming on as a substitute to replace Eddie Gray in a European Cup tie against Ferencvaros two days after his 18th birthday. He made his Division One debut in March 1970 against Derby County and remained on the fringes of Don Revie’s first team for the next three seasons. He scored his only goal for Leeds United in September 1971 against Belgian side Lierse and played in several teams when Don Revie elected to field weakened sides in European ties due to fixture congestion. Galvin’s final appearance for Leeds United came in April 1973 against Birmingham City, he left the club two months later to join Hull City having scored one goal for Leeds in 16 appearances.

Chris moved to Division Four side Stockport County in April 1979 and made his Hatters debut in May 1979 against York City. Despite missing three months of the 1979/80 season due to injury, he enjoyed two seasons in the first team at Edgeley Park and scored three goals in 77 appearances for the club. At the end of his time at Stockport in April 1981 Chris and his former Hull City teammate Dave Sunley arrived late to a home match after getting stuck in a Spring snow storm, forcing the Hatters to play 45 minutes with nine men. After spending the summer months playing Huddersfield League cricket for Almondbury, Chris trained with Huddersfield-based Yorkshire League side Bradley Rangers during August 1981. In September 1981 Galvin headed east to play for and manage Hong Kong side Tsuen Wan for two years. He later became a players’ agent and ran a sports shop in Huddersfield.

Chris’s brother was Tony Galvin, another accomplished winger who won two FA Cup winners medals at Tottenham Hotspur in the early 1980s and played several times for Ireland.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 24 November 1951, Huddersfield
Hull City First Game: 11 August 1973, Mansfield Town A (Watney Cup First Round), 21 years, 260 days old
Hull City Final Game: 16 April 1979, Blackpool H (Division Three), 27 years, 143 days old

Clubs

Leeds United (1967-1973), Hull City (1973-1979), York City (1976-1977, loan), Stockport County (1979-1981), Tsuen Wan (1981-1983)

Hull City Record

Career: 171 apps, 14 goals

Chris Galvin
SeasonLGE
App
LGE
Gls
FAC
App
FAC
Gls
FLC
App
FLC
Gls
EUR
App
EUR
Gls
OTH
App
OTH
Gls
1973/7414 (1)02 (0)15 (0)13 (0)1
1974/7533 (1)23 (0)0
1975/7637 (1)43 (0)02 (0)01 (0)0
1976/7712 (2)10 (1)03 (0)0
1977/7821 (2)04 (0)0
1978/7915 (4)41 (0)0

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