Len Stephenson

Len Stephenson

Personal information
Full name	Robert Leonard Stephenson[1]
Date of birth	14 July 1930[1]
Place of birth	Blackpool, England[1]
Date of death	29 September 2014 (aged 84)[2]
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position	Centre-forward
Youth career
	St. Mary's Youth Club
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1948–1955	Blackpool	24	(10)
1955–1957	Port Vale	61	(16)
1957–1958	Oldham Athletic	8	(0)
	Witton Albion	0	(0)
Total		93	(26)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Robert Leonard "Len" Stephenson (14 July 1930 – 29 September 2014) was an English footballer. A centre-forward, he scored 26 goals in 93 league games in a seven-year career in the Football League for Blackpool, Port Vale, and Oldham Athletic.

Playing career

Stephenson began his professional career with Joe Smith's Blackpool in November 1948. It wasn't until just over two years later, on 20 January 1951, that he made his debut, in a 2–2 league draw with Sunderland at Bloomfield Road. He scored the hosts' second goal in what was his only appearance of the 1950–51 campaign.^[3] He made three First Division appearances during the following season,^[4] before injury struck, and sat out the entire 1952–53 term, at the climax of which Blackpool won the FA Cup.^[5]

Stephenson returned to the Blackpool line-up two-thirds of the way through 1953–54, scoring their first goal in a 3–2 home league victory over Aston Villa on 23 January. He made seven further league appearances that season, scoring another three goals in the process. He also scored in the FA Cup, in Blackpool's third-round replay victory over Luton Town at Molineux Stadium.^[6]

He scored five goals in his eleven league appearances during 1954–55, including the only goal of the game in a victory over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 11 December. He made his final appearance for the Seasiders on 15 January, in a 2–0 defeat at home to Wolves.^[7]

Stephenson joined Port Vale on 10 March 1955 for £5,000.^[1] He scored his first goal for the Valiants on 19 March, in a 2–1 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Vale Park.^[1] He made a further nine Second Division appearances, without scoring any further goals, in the 1954–55 season.^[1]

With 14 goals in 33 appearances, he was the club's top scorer in the 1955–56 season;^[1] however, he lost his place in January 1957 after manager Freddie Steele resigned from his post.^[1] The club were relegated under new boss Norman Low, and Stephenson was transferred to Oldham Athletic for £1,025 in June 1957.^[1] He made eight Third Division North appearances for Ted Goodier's Latics in 1957–58, before departing Boundary Park to finish his career with Cheshire County League side Witton Albion.^[8]

Statistics

• Sourced from Len Stephenson profile at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Blackpool	1950–51	First Division	1	1	0	0	1	1
	1951–52	First Division	3	0	0	0	3	0
	1952–53	First Division	9	4	4	1	13	5
	1953–54	First Division	11	5	0	0	11	5
	Total		24	10	4	1	28	11
Port Vale	1954–55	Second Division	10	1	0	0	10	1
	1955–56	Second Division	31	12	2	2	33	14
	1956–57	Second Division	20	3	2	1	22	4
	Total		61	16	4	3	65	19
Oldham Athletic	1957–58	Third Division North	8	0	0	0	8	0
Career Total			93	26	8	4	101	30

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 281. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
2. Baggaley, Mike (29 September 2014). "Former Port Vale and Blackpool striker Len Stephenson dies aged 84". The Sentinel. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
3. Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992, p. 276. ISBN 1-873626-07-X.
4. Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992, p. 278
5. Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992, p. 280
6. Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992, p. 282
7. Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992, p. 284
8. Oldham F.C. at Neil Brown's statistical website