Tuesday 17 August 2010

Cult Hero - Geoff Horsfield




It’s a shiny new season, and so returns our infamous (?) Cult Heroes series. And what better way to start than with Sir Geoff of Horsfield.

“We knew you lot – media, papers – were comin down and we had point t’ prove”.

The immortal words of Geoff Horsfield; bricklayer, footballer, coach and above all, Yorkshireman. Born in Barnsley and the son of a coal miner, Horsfield was always destined to play the game in one way only. 6 feet tall with what can only be described as a ‘strapping’ physique, Horsfield never lacked courage, fight or directness. Indeed the striker’s style of play always seemed to evoke the preferred White Rose method of communication – calling a spade a spade. You wouldn’t find Horsfield attempting a Cruyff turn, chipped finish or simulation – it was all power, honesty and bloody hard work.

Courage is certainly a phrase that seems to encapsulate Horsfield, as the Barnsley boy never had it easy. After slogging away in the Northern Counties East League for much of his late teens and early twenties, Horsfield’s big break didn’t come until he made a £4,000 move to Halifax Town in 1996. From that point onwards though, his career took off. Having fired Town back into the Football League with 30 goals in 40 games, Horsfield earned a move to Kevin Keegan’s Fulham, where he progressed into England’s second tier. Keegan moved on and Jean Tigana was never likely to appreciate the Yorkshireman’s agricultural talents, so a club record £2.25m move to Birmingham City followed.

Horsfield’s career peaked at St. Andrews – top scorer in his first season, two goals in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final to help the club reach their first major final for nearly 40 years, 2001-02 Player of the Year chosen by both Birmingham's fans and his team-mates, equaliser against Norwich City in the play-off final which the club went on to win on penalties. Not bad. Not bad at all.

And when Horsfield scored his first Premier League goal against Aston Villa in September 2002, a remarkable journey had been completed. He went on to have spells of varying success with Wigan, West Brom, Sheffield United, Leeds, Leicester, Scunthorpe, Lincoln City and Port Vale.

Yet the story doesn’t end there. In October 2008, Horsfield was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and was advised that his playing career was finished. Never one to lie down, Horsfield displayed the kind of character and battle league defenders had feared for years. And in December that year he linked up with Lincoln City, making his debut and return to football in January, and scoring his first goal for the club later that month. He went on to a player-assistant manager role at Port Vale, and as of this season, is now a full-time assistant, although he may still play if an emergency arises…

You may have noticed that this is a rather lengthy entry for the return of Cult Heroes, but if any man warrants it, it’s Geoff. Yorkshire to the core, what Horsfield lacked in finesse he always made up for with sheer grit. As a younger player, he promised a donation to his first club, Athersley Rec, if he ever reached the Premiership. A few days after Birmingham’s play-off victory, Horsfield handed over £25,000 towards improving their facilities.

A bastion of God's Own County, Geoff Horsfield can truly be described as a Cult Hero.

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