569 John Farley

Biography

Left winger John “Charlie” Farley (his nickname derived from a long-running Two Ronnies sketch televised in the 1970s) joined Hull City in May 1978 for a £30,000 fee as manager Ken Houghton sought to rebuild the solid but unspectacular City squad he inherited, which had just been relegated from Division Two. Farley was first choice winger for most of the 1978/79 season, providing the supply line to fellow Teessider Keith Edwards and Bradfordian Bruce Bannister – Farley himself waited until March 1979 for his first City goal in a 4-1 defeat of Bury. John missed the next nine games with injury after that Bury game but returned for the last month of a season that extended into late May due to severe winter weather in January.

John started 1979/80 season as first choice on the left wing once again, and rewarded manager Houghton with early season goals in victories against Sheffield United in September 1979 and Carlisle United in October 1979. However these wins were the exception in a difficult season for the Tigers and after City endured an eleven match winless streak in the autumn months, culminating in a December 1979 2-7 thumping at Brentford in which Farley scored, Houghton was sacked and former Wales manager Mike Smith took over a month later. Farley was initially retained on the left wing by Smith and rewarded the new boss with the winner in a March 1980 victory over Chester. However by early April Farley and Smith had fallen out and the wide left shirt was given to Craig Norrie. Farley left the Tigers in the 1980 close season.

John Denis Farley was born in Middlesbrough and was on the Boro’s books as a teenager, but decided to learn his trade as a joiner at the age of sixteen and played non-league football for Stockton FC. A coach at Stockton was good friends with Ken Furphy, manager of Division Two side Watford, and Farley joined the Hornets in June 1969. He had to wait eighteen months for his senior debut for Watford against Bolton Wanderers in January 1971 and scored his first Hornets goal in March 1971, securing a 2-1 win against Charlton Athletic. In the 1971/72 season Watford struggled at the foot of the Division Two table, mustering only nineteen points all season to finish fifteen points adrift of safety – Farley was an occasional starter in the early weeks of the season, then in September 1971 he spent a month on loan at Division Three side Halifax Town where he found his shooting boots with three goals in 6 appearances. Returning to Watford in October 1971 he played more regularly as Watford slipped out of the division. With Watford now in Division Three, Farley became a regular starter for two seasons and by the 1974 close season had scored nine goals for the Hornets in 114 senior appearances.

In May 1974 Bill McGarry, the manager of Division One side Wolverhampton Wanderers, paid £40,000 for the relatively unknown Farley – McGarry was Watford manager in the mid 1960s and perhaps still had links with staff at the Hertfordshire club. Wolves were riding high in Division One so this was a big step up for John – one of his early appearances for Wolves was a September 1974 UEFA Cup tie against Porto that the Portuguese side won 4-1, progressing 5-4 on aggregate at Wolves’ expense. Farley was part of the first team squad during the 1974/75 season and added further occasional appearances in the 1975/76 season as Wolves suffered a collapse in form that ended with relegation to Division Two. Farley suffered a knee injury that meant he made no appearances at all in 1976/77 season as Wolves returned to the top flight as Division Two champions, though he did make 1 appearance for Division Two side Blackpool during a brief October 1976 loan spell. John was transfer listed in the 1977 close season but returned to fitness and made a handful of appearances during the 1977/78 season as Wolves returned to Division One. He left the Black Country club in May 1978 to join Hull City, having made 43 senior appearances in four seasons.

Farley joined Division Four side Bury in August 1980 and during the 1980/81 season he scored two goals in 27 appearances, scoring the last of his senior goals in an October 1980 defeat at Rochdale. Farley hung up his boots in the 1981 close season and after running pubs in Cambridge and High Wycombe he resettled in his Willerby home in Hull and became a self-employed joiner. John died in Hull in July 2026.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 21 September 1951, Middlesbrough
Hull City First Game: 12 August 1978, Peterborough United H (League Cup First Round First Leg), 26 years, 325 days old
Hull City Final Game: 4 April 1980, Blackburn Rovers A (Division Three), 28 years, 196 days old

Clubs

Middlesbrough, Stockton (1967-1969), Watford (1969-1974), Halifax Town (1971, loan), Wolverhampton Wanderers (1974-1978), Blackpool (1976, loan), Hull City (1978-1980), Bury (1980-1981)

Hull City Record

Career: 67 apps, 5 goals