Alfred McMichael (1 October 1927 – 7 January 2006) was a

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

-born McMichael began his career at Linfield, before signing for

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

in 1949. He remained at Newcastle until 1962, appearing 433 times and scoring once for the club. He was part of the team that won the 1952 FA Cup Final, after his disappointment of missing the final the year before through injury. At one point he was considered the best left-back in Britain and was a popular player amongst Newcastle United supporters. He represented

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

40 times. After retiring from playing, he managed

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

from 1963 until 1969, guiding them to the

North Regional League The North Regional League was a football competition in Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former b ...

title in 1966–67.History
South Shields F.C.

Honours

As a player

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

winner: 1952

As a manager

*South Shields **North Regional League champions 1966–67

References

External links

Obituary from PFA
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mcmichael, Alf 1927 births 2006 deaths 1958 FIFA World Cup players Linfield F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Northern Ireland men's international footballers Association footballers from Belfast Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland English Football League players Men's association football fullbacks Association football managers from Northern Ireland Gateshead United F.C. managers