Biography
Diminutive striker Gordon Staniforth was born in Hull and attended Greatfield High School as a teenager. He played for Hull Schoolboys and Yorkshire Boys throughout the early 1970s and was recognised as Hull’s most notable football talent when he was chosen to play for England Schoolboys against Netherlands in March 1972 and Scotland in May 1972. It was therefore natural that he joined his hometown club Hull City in July 1972 as an apprentice professional, quickly progressing to the Tigers’ Reserves side in November 1972. He signed his first professional contract with the Tigers in March 1974, a month later he was handed a first team debut by manager Terry Neill shortly after his 17th birthday in an end-of-season defeat at home to Swindon Town.
By the time his next first team selection came around in November 1974, Neill had been replaced by John Kaye and Staniforth obliged with the opening goal in a 2-1 win over Fulham. Despite this promise Staniforth was held in the wings by Kaye in favour of more experienced forwards like Alf Wood and John Hawley, and played only once more during the 1974/75 season, a substitute appearance against Sheffield Wednesday in the final match before the summer break.
In the 1975/76 season Kaye again held Staniforth in reserve, giving him just four starts in wide positions between December 1975 and February 1976. Come the 1976/77 season it was the same pattern – Staniforth was given one start and four sub appearances in October and November, scoring his second and final goal for City in a dominant 3-1 home win over Plymouth Argyle.
Now nearing his 20th birthday, Staniforth was perhaps growing increasingly frustrated at Boothferry Park and in December 1976 he was transferred to York City, initially on a one month loan then permanently for a £7,500 in January 1977. York City were struggling at the foot of Division Three but at Bootham Crescent Staniforth quickly established himself as a first team regular, playing in both central and wide attacking positions. In that first partial season he made 28 consecutive starts and scored 3 goals. Relegated to Division Four, York again struggled in the bottom four and had to apply for re-election in May 1978, but Staniforth started all 46 league games and 4 cup ties, scoring 13 goals including six from the penalty spot. In the 1978/79 season York’s form improved and a mid-table finish was fuelled by Staniforth’s 15 league goals that included a May 1979 hattrick against Port Vale, plus four more in a FA Cup run that featured a Second Round brace against local non-league rivals Scarborough and ended in a Fourth Round defeat against Division One high flyers Nottingham Forest. Staniforth began the 1979/80 season slowly then exploded with a hattrick in a 5-2 win over league newcomers Wigan Athletic. He amassed 39 goals in 141 senior appearances during his first spell with the Minstermen.
Gordon’s fine form prompted Division Three high flyers Carlisle United to sign him in October 1979 for a substantial £120,000 fee – at that time the Cumbrians’ record fee paid. Paired with the likes of Peter Beardsley and future Tiger Steve Hoolickin, Gordon began well and scored five goals before Christmas. But after a February 3-2 win over former club Hull City (he had already played in an earlier FA Cup tie against the Tigers that Carlisle won in a replay) Staniforth dropped out of the first team and made only four more appearances during the remainder of the season. He started the 1980/81 season well and missed only four games all season, scoring an April 1981 hattrick against Burnley. This form continued into the 1981/82 season as the goals of Staniforth and Beardsley propelled Carlisle to promotion to Division Two – Staniforth contributed 11 league goals including an October 1981 hattrick against Plymouth Argyle. Elevated to Division Two, Carlisle invested in forwards and Staniforth was used in a support role as the 1982/83 season progressed, taking his tally for Carlisle United to 37 goals in 153 appearances.
Plymouth Argyle evidently remembered the hattrick Staniforth scored against them the previous season and in March 1983 the Pilgrims signed Gordon in a player swap deal. Playing alongside former Tigers team-mate Gordon Nisbet, Staniforth quickly re-established his Division Three credentials, bagging thirteen goals in the 1983/84 season and being voted the club’s Player of the Season. He also contributed prominently, alongside his striker partner Tommy Tynan, to the Pilgrims unlikely ten-match march to the FA Cup Semi Final, where they were defeated narrowly at Villa Park by Graham Taylor’s Watford. He scored another 11 goals in all competitions during the 1984/85 season, taking his tally for the Plymouth Argyle to 25 goals in 114 senior appearances.
Staniforth transferred to Division Three side Newport County in August 1985 and in two seasons he scored 13 goals in 101 appearances – at the end of the 1986/87 season Newport finish bottom of Division Three and were relegated to the fourth tier. Staniforth returned to York City for the 1987/88 season but made only 23 appearances and scored once as the Minstermen finished 23rd in Division Three – the prospect of two relegations in a row was enough for Gordon, who had already left the Minstermen in March 1988 and signed for Northern Counties East League side North Ferriby United – at this time he also became landlord at the Buckles Inn on the A64 in Copmanthorpe, just outside York. Staniforth served the Villagers until September 1989 when he retired from playing, having helped the side reach the semi-finals of the FA Vase in the 1988/89 season. Despite the halting start to his career at Hull City, in 14 seasons as a professional Staniforth ended up scoring 117 senior goals in 544 appearances. Good innings.
With his playing days over Staniforth returned to York and spent several years combining two jobs for York City, running the social club and working as the club’s Football in the Community Officer. He later took up a regional coaching role for the Professional Footballers’ Association and was briefly a youth coach at Leeds United, then worked at York College’s football development centre. Between 2013 and 2014 he was first team manager of Doncaster Belles women’s football team, resigning in October 2014 in protest against cuts to the team’s playing budget.
Gordon’s daughter Lucy Staniforth was a highly successful professional footballer who played for several WSL clubs and won a dozen England caps. Gordon’s son Tom was also a professional footballer at Sheffield Wednesday who tragically died at the age of 20 in August 2001 after taking ecstasy – as a result both Gordon and Lucy were prominent anti-drug campaigners.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 23 March 1957, Hull
Hull City First Game: 15 April 1974, Swindon Town H (Division Two), 17 years, 23 days old
Hull City Final Game: 27 November 1976, Bristol Rovers A (Division Two), 19 years, 249 days old
Clubs
Hull City (1974-1977), York City (1976-1977, loan), York City (1977-1979), Carlisle United (1979-1983), Plymouth Argyle (1983-1985), Newport County (1985-1987), York City (1987-1988), North Ferriby United (1988-1989)
Hull City Record
Career: 12 apps, 2 goals
Gordon Staniforth| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973/74 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1974/75 | 1 (1) | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1975/76 | 4 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1976/77 | 1 (4) | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
I remember Gordon coming on as a late substitute in a boring 0-0 at BP that then finished 3-1. Prompting the Sportmail headline from David Bond “Supersub surfaces to spark City salvo!”