Biography
Experienced defender Malcolm Shotton joined Stan Ternent’s Tigers in February 1990 with the club struggling in the bottom four of the Division Two table. He slotted into the back four in preference to Steve Terry, making his debut against former club Oxford United, and his combative style seemed to steady the ship – in Shotton’s first five starts City conceded only three goals and lost just once. Six wins and a draw in April 1990 saw City ease into mid-table and Shotton opened his goalscoring account with strikes in a 3-3 draw against Plymouth Argyle and a 4-3 win over Ipswich Town.
Shotton was absent from the first team at the start of the 1990/91 season with new signing David Mail filling his place, though Malcolm returned for eight games in October and November that yielded five defeats including thumpings at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion and Plymouth Argyle. With Ternent’s new squad failing to show the necessary guile and commitment to succeed, City again slid down the table and into the relegation zone. When Ternent was dismissed in January 1991 interim manager Tom Wilson bought Shotton back into the fold and new boss Terry Dolan retained him. However the decline was inexorable and the Tigers were relegated in April 1991, finishing in rock bottom 24th place.
Shotton missed the opening two months of the 1991/92 season as City competed in Division Three for the first time since 1985 before returning to the first team in mid-October. Results were again wildly variable – seven wins in ten games were followed by ten defeats in twelve games, and while Shotton continued to give his all, the opposition goals kept flowing. Malcolm dropped out of the City first team in early February 1992 but continued his role as youth team coach and mentor until he left the club three months later.
Malcolm Shotton was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne but was an apprentice footballer at Leicester City in the mid-1970s, he impressed in the Reserves during the 1974/75 and 1975/76 seasons but was unable to break into the Foxes’ first team. In May 1976 he was released by Leicester and joined Southern League side Atherstone Town, winning several player of the season awards over the next three years while playing at both left back and centre back. In January 1979 Shotton was suspended and transfer listed by Atherstone Town due to unspecified misdemeanours, a month later he joined Conference National side Nuneaton Borough for a £3,000 fee – the reasons for the sale were made a little clearer six months later when Atherstone Town folded amid a raft of debts. Malcolm was an first team regular for Nuneaton in the 1979/80 season and his impressive form attracted the attention of of several Football League clubs including Manchester City and Oxford United.
Shotton signed for Division Three side Oxford United in May 1980 and made his League debut in August 1980 against Southend United. He scored his first League goal four days later, also against Southend United in the return leg of a League Cup tie, and quickly established himself in the heart of the U’s defence. Oxford were now competing at the upper end of Division Three and during the 1983/84 season they finally made a breakthrough, winning the Division Three title and reaching the Fifth Round of the League Cup, embarking on a marathon run of eleven ties as they beat Newcastle United, Leeds United and Manchester United before losing to top flight side Everton in a replay. Shotton missed only three games all season and was by now club captain.
A further promotion to Division One followed at the end of the 1984/85 season and Shotton was now a top flight footballer under manager Jim Smith. He made his Division One debut in August 1985 against West Bromwich Albion and the 1985/86 season saw the U’s narrowly avoid relegation while powering to victory in the League Cup Final, beating Queens Park Rangers 3-0 and providing Malcolm with the privilege of a Wembley trophy lift. He spent the 1986/87 season with Oxford but missed much football due to injury and left the club in August 1987 having scored 15 goals in 338 appearances.
In August 1987 Shotton switched to Division One rivals Portsmouth, but that move was not a success and after only ten appearances for Pompey Malcolm moved to Division Two strugglers Huddersfield Town in February 1988. The Terriers were themselves relegated three months later and after starting the 1988/89 season at Leeds Road he moved on in September 1988 having scored once in 18 appearances. He joined Division Two side Barnsley in September 1988 and had two successful seasons in the Tykes’ first team, scoring six goals in 74 appearances prior to his move to Hull City at the end of February 1990.
Shotton left Hull City in May 1992 and spent the early weeks of 1992/93 season with Northern Premier League side Frickley Athletic before joining Scottish Division One side Ayr United in September 1992. The veteran spent two seasons playing regularly for The Honest Men, scoring three goals in 83 appearances before returning to England in the 1994 close season and signing once again for League Division 1 side Barnsley. In a season and a bit at Oakwell he scored once in 11 appearances, his final senior match came against Sunderland in October 1996 – despite not making his League debut until August 1980 at the age of 23, Shotton’s senior career in England and Scotland saw him make 603 appearances and score 28 goals – plus another 150 plus games for Atherstone Town and Nuneaton Borough.
Shotton had entered the football coaching ranks during his second spell at Barnsley, having also done some coaching and mentoring of younger players while at Hull City. In January 1998 left Barnsley and was appointed first team manager at his former side Oxford United, steering the U’s away from relegation in the remainder of the 1997/98 season. But despite the goals of ex-Tiger Dean Windass, Shotton could not avoid relegation to League Division 2 during the 1998/99 season and after a poor start to the 1999/00 season Malcolm was dismissed by Oxford United in October 1999. Between June and November 2000 Shotton served as assistant manager to Chris Hutchings at Bradford City, then later worked for Leeds United’s academy and was a football coach at Loughborough University and Barnsley College. After football he worked as an executive car salesman in Huddersfield.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 16 February 1957, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Hull City First Game: 3 March 1990, Oxford United H (Division Two), 33 years, 15 days old
Hull City Final Game: 1 February 1992, Hartlepool United H (Division Three), 34 years, 350 days old
Clubs
Leicester City (1973-1976), Atherstone Town (1976-1979), Nuneaton Borough (1979-1980), Oxford United (1980-1987), Portsmouth (1987-1988), Huddersfield Town (1988), Barnsley (1988-1990), Hull City (1990-1992), Frickley Athletic (1992), Ayr United (1992-1994), Barnsley (1994-1996)
Hull City Record
Career: 67 apps, 2 goals
Malcolm Shotton| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989/90 | 16 (0) | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1990/91 | 26 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 1991/92 | 16 (1) | 0 | 3 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | 2 (0) | 0 |