Biography
Experienced winger Terry Curran had a lengthy reputation as a talented football maverick when he signed a short term contract at Hull City in October 1986. In three weeks he started four league games and two cup ties, scoring against Grimsby Town in the Full Members’ Cup before moving on to Sunderland.
Edward Terence Curran, often known as TC, was born in Kinsley, a colliery village between Wakefield and Doncaster. His career began at Division Four side Doncaster Rovers at the age of 18 after playing in local football in his teens while serving an apprenticeship as a paint sprayer. He made his Rovers debut against Gillingham in September 1973 and by January 1974 he was a first team regular at Belle Vue, scoring his first goal in March 1974 against Newport County. Curran missed only two games in the 1974/75 season and provided the supply line for strikers Mike Kitchen and Brendan O’Callaghan while also chipping in seven goals himself. He attracted further attention when scoring twice in the opening weeks of the 1975/76 season, taking his Doncaster Rovers tally to eleven goals in 75 senior appearances.
In August 1975 Terry was lured to Division Two side Nottingham Forest by the unique charms of Brian Clough, attracting a £50,000 transfer fee and making a strong impression as Forest climbed up the table. Curran scored six times in his first season at Forest then started the 1976/77 season in impressive fashion, netting ten goals in 18 League and Cup games before a serious injury left him on the sidelines – during his absence Forest finished third in the Division Two table and won promotion to Division One. While his time at Forest signalled that Curran had a considerable talent, a subsequent falling out with Forest assistant manager Peter Taylor was a sign of his single-minded temperament. As Clough and Taylor’s Forest started the 1977/78 season in dominant fashion, Curran was restored to fitness but remained sidelined and was loaned to Bury in October 1977 where he made 2 appearances.
In November 1977 Curran joined Division One rivals Derby County, his stay at the Baseball Ground lasted less than a season and saw him score two goals in 29 appearances. In August 1978 Terry moved to Lawrie McMenemy’s Division One side Southampton for a £60,000 fee, but Curran’s non-conforming ways irked the former guardsman-cum-football manager and after one goal in 39 appearances for the Saints, Curran was on his way again – that goal secured a semi-final victory and a path to the League Cup Final at Wembley, which Curran started and Southampton lost to his former club Nottingham Forest.
In March 1979, after flirting with an offer to move to the USA, Curran joined Sheffield Wednesday for a £100,000 fee, a significant investment for a Division Three side. Curran found a good home at Hillsborough under the management of former England defender Jack Charlton, he played in 12 games at the end of the 1978/79 season and scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Hull City. In the 1979/80 season Curran missed only a handful of games and scored 24 goals in all competitions as the Owls won promotion by finishing third in Division Three. He scored another 11 goals in the 1980/81 season as Wednesday consolidated in mid-table of Division Two, getting into a fracas with Oldham’s Simon Stainrod in September 1980 that precipitated a riot on the terraces and led to a four-match closure of Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium. Wednesday missed out on promotion by a point at the end of the 1981/82 season with Curran netting three times, but his relationship with manager Charlton was deteriorating and he moved on in the 1982 close season having scored 39 goals in 138 appearances for the Owls.
In August 1982 Curran signed for Wednesday’s rivals Sheffield United, a Division Three side. The Blades were managed by Curran’s former Wednesday team-mate Ian Porterfield and Terry was restored as a first team regular. He spent December and January of that season on loan at Division One side Everton, scoring once in 7 appearances for the Toffees, but returned to Bramall Lane for the remainder of the season to take his Blades tally to three goals in 44 appearances.
Curran signed a permanent deal with Everton in August 1983 and made nine starts in the 1983/84 season as the Toffees reached both the League Cup and FA Cup finals, though Terry played in only one cup tie, the FA Cup semi final win over Southampton at Highbury – five years after he played in a League Cup semi-final for the Saints. He made 9 appearances in the 1984/85 season as Everton lifted the Division One title, but left that summer having added 23 appearances to the 7 previously made on loan. In July 1985 Terry joined Division Two side Huddersfield Town and his season at Leeds Road yielded eight goals in 36 appearances for the Terriers. Curran had a short spell at Athens-based Greek side Panionios at the start of the 1986/87 season prior to joining the Tigers.
After leaving the Tigers in November 1986 Curran spent the rest of the 1986/87 season at Sunderland, scoring once in 9 appearances before his career fizzled out due to knee problems. He started the 1987/88 season at Southern League side Grantham Town then had two short spells at two Division Three sides, Grimsby Town (14 appearances) and Chesterfield (1 appearance). He joined Northern Premier League side Goole Town in August 1988 but retired from playing in December 1988 on advice of a specialist due to persistent problems with a knee injury. In fifteen years he amassed 84 goals in 478 senior appearances – a great haul for a mercurial but hard working wide player.
Curran was appointed manager at Goole Town in November 1989, having returned to the club as a player a month earlier. He maintained a mid-table position for three seasons before resigning in March 1992 amid oppressive financioal constraints on the club. He briefly managed struggling Manchester-based Northern Premier League side Mossley between November and December 1992. He then went into the property trade before coaching youngsters at Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster in the early 2000s.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 20 March 1955, Kinsley
Hull City First Game: 11 October 1986, Derby County A (Division Two), 31 years, 205 days old
Hull City Final Game: 1 November 1986, Brighton & Hove Albion A (Division Two), 31 years, 226 days old
Clubs
Doncaster Rovers (1973-1975), Nottingham Forest (1975-1977), Bury (1977, loan), Derby County (1977-1978), Southampton (1978-1979), Sheffield Wednesday (1979-1982), Sheffield United (1982-1983), Everton (1982-1983, loan), Everton (1983-1985), Huddersfield Town (1985-1986), Panionios (1986), Hull City (1986), Sunderland (1986-1987), Grantham Town (1987), Grimsby Town (1987-1988), Chesterfield (1988), Goole Town (1988), Goole Town (1989)
Hull City Record
Career: 6 apps, 1 goals
Terry Curran| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986/87 | 4 (0) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 1 |