Biography
Winger Richard John Peacock was scouted by Hull City as he made a name for himself at Northern Counties East League side Sheffield FC, while completing his university studies. Peacock joined the Tigers in October 1993 and in his first season as a professional he scored on his debut against Fulham, stood in as emergency right back in an November 1993 defeat at Blackpool, made a handful of substitute appearances then started three of the last five League games of the season. Peacock started the 1994/95 season as a regular starter on City’s right wing and provided a decent return of six goals by Christmas Eve as City’s good form took them into the top six of League Division 2. The signing of Warren Joyce in January 1995 led to a reshuffle of City’s midfield, it was Peacock who missed out and he spent four months coming off the bench. He returned to the wing in mid-April 1995 but by then City’s promotion charge had faded and Peacock’s goals had dried up.
The club’s slide continued into the 1995/96 season, a cataclysmic year that saw City relegated in the Spring and fans’ protests against the chairman and manager reach a sticker-laden crescendo. Richard was in and out of the first team in the opening weeks of the season but was always available from the bench, from November 1995 onwards Peacock made the right wing berth his own and contributed a significant proportion of the struggling Tigers’ goal tally. This included a brace in an unlikely February 1996 3-0 win against Burnley that ended a long winless sequence. Relegated to the fourth tier, Dolan’s City continued to struggle and Peacock was eased into the first team after a pre-season injury. His goals continued to secure important victories – a 1-0 win at Lincoln City, a 2-1 win at Wigan Athletic, a 2-0 win against Torquay United and a stress-inducing 8-4 FA Cup replay victory over lowly Whitby Town. Peacock remained a regular first team presence throughout the season and scored a final goal for manager Dolan in a late season win against Leyton Orient.
It was all change for the 1997/98 season with Fish and Dolan gone and ex-England forward Mark Hateley in charge. Peacock missed only one of the opening 24 matches at the start of Hateley’s first season but then missed three months of football due to a hernia operation. He returned in March 1998 amidst a lengthy run of sapping defeats and resumed his right wing berth. In the 1998/99 season Hateley again turned to Peacock for the supply line from wide, while the Tigers hurtled towards the foot of the table and Hateley got the sack Peacock continued to play consistently, scoring goals in a rare win over Rochdale and a heavy defeat at Barnet. Warren Joyce took over the manager’s role in November 1998 and engineered the Great Escape from expulsion to the non-leagues, but he did this without Peacock’s pacey promptings because after just over five years of fine service Peacock left the Tigers in January 1999.
In January 1999 Peacock moved to Division Four side Lincoln City in a transfer deal that saw Jason Perry and Jon Whitney move the other way, both defenders – Whitney in particular – proved to pivotal figures in City avoiding what at times seemed an inevitable relegation. Lincoln used Peacock as a substitute during the remainder of the 1998/99 season, a role that continued in the 1999/00 season alongside occasional starts in a central midfield role. In the 2000/01 season he played more regularly for the Imps and showed his versatility by playing in a number of positions. When he left Sincil Bank in the 2001 close season he had made 76 senior appearances and scored eight goals for the club.
Peacock then dropped into the non-league scene, firstly with Conference National sides Stalybridge Celtic and Chester then further down the pyramid with Worksop Town and Buxton. He ended playing days in 2006 back at Lincoln, this time playing for Northern Premier League side Lincoln United. After football he lived in Dronfield with his two football-loving sons.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 29 October 1972, Sheffield
Hull City First Game: 16 October 1993, Fulham H (League Division 2), 20 years, 352 days old
Hull City Final Game: 5 January 1999, Wrexham H (Associate Members’ Cup Second Round), 26 years, 68 days old
Clubs
Sheffield FC (1992-1993), Hull City (1993-1999), Lincoln City (1999-2001), Stalybridge Celtic (2001-2002), Chester City (2002), Worksop Town (2002-2004), Buxton (2004-2005), Lincoln United (2005-2006)
Hull City Record
Career: 203 apps, 24 goals
Richard Peacock| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993/94 | 4 (7) | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1994/95 | 28 (9) | 5 | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 1 | – | – | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 1995/96 | 39 (6) | 7 | 2 (0) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | – | – | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 1996/97 | 34 (6) | 4 | 3 (0) | 1 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 1997/98 | 26 (1) | 2 | 1 (0) | 0 | 4 (1) | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 1998/99 | 13 (1) | 2 | 0 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | – | – | 2 (0) | 0 |