Biography

Central defender Stuart Ian Eccleston was born in Stoke-on-Trent and joined his local First Division side as a youth player in the late 1970s. Eccleston played in the Stoke Reserves but was unable to break into the first team, so in January 1981 he was released and free to join Mike Smith’s Hull City, who were struggling towards the foot of the Division Three despite squad investment that accompanied Smith’s appointment. In mid March 1981 Eccleston was given his first team chance playing alongside centre back partner Steve Richards, and Eccleston acquitted himself adequately despite a poor run of results that led to the Tigers being relegated to the Fourth Division for the first time.
Stuart retained his first team place for the start of the 1981/82 season and had missed only two matches in three months when he dropped out of the first team in November 1981. Other than a substitute appearance in Mike Smith’s final game in charge, Eccleston never played for the Tigers again and left the club in the 1982 close season.
Eccleston returned to the Potteries and signed for the Tigers’ Fourth Division rivals Port Vale in July 1982, but he was unable to break into the first team squad and his Football League career came to a close towards the end of 1982. After a brief spell at Conference National side Stafford Rangers Eccleston hung up his boots at the age of 21 and began a second career in the building trade. Despite breaking his leg in a building site accident in 1988, Eccleston went on to helm his own building contracting business in the Stoke area.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 4 October 1961, Stoke-on-Trent
Hull City First Game: 21 March 1981, Carlisle United A (Division Three), 19 years, 168 days old
Hull City Final Game: 2 March 1982, Halifax Town H (Division Four), 20 years, 149 days old
Clubs
Stoke City (1979-1981), Hull City (1981-1982), Port Vale (1982), Stafford Rangers (1982)
Hull City Record
Career: 28 apps, 0 goals
Stuart EcclestonSeason | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980/81 | 9 (0) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1981/82 | 13 (1) | 0 | - | - | 2 (0) | 0 | - | - | 3 (0) | 0 |