David Bickles (6 April 1944 – 1 November 1999) was an English professional

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 le ...

who played as a centre half.

Career

Bickles started his career as a youth player for West Ham United. He made his debut for West Ham at

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...

in a 2–1 win in September 1963; the last occasion that West Ham would beat

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

on their own ground for 52 years and 42 games. During a game against Liverpool in 1966, Bickles was injured in a clash with

Ian St John John "Ian" St John (; 7 June 1938 – 1 March 2021) was a Scottish professional football player, coach and broadcaster. St John played as a forward for Liverpool throughout most of the 1960s. Signed by Bill Shankly in 1961, St John was a key mem ...

and dislocated his shoulder. Never fully diagnosed by West Ham doctors Bickles was accused of not putting in the effort. After only 28 appearances in all competitions for West Ham he was transferred to Crystal Palace in October 1967. Palace medical staff fully diagnosed Bickle's injury problems and discovered that a piece of bone had broken-off from his shoulder. Injury meant that he failed to play for Palace and in 1968 moved to Colchester United before becoming player/manager for

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romford ...

in the Southern League. Bickles had a short spell managing

Collier Row Collier Row is an area of Romford in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. It is a suburban development north of Romford town centre, around north-east of Charing Cross. The area is based on a large housing estate built d ...

in the

Spartan League The Spartan League was a football league in England covering London and adjacent counties. Established in 1907, it merged with the South Midlands League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League. History The Spartan League was establish ...

in the 1980s. Leaving football Bickles took up teaching in

East Ham East Ham is a district of the London Borough of Newham, England, 8 miles (12.8 km) east of Charing Cross. East Ham is identified in the London Plan as a Major Centre. The population is 76,186. It was originally part of the Becontree Hun ...

where, as a PE teacher, he spotted Lee Hodges playing and recommended him to "The Hammers". In the 1990s he was invited by West Ham youth coach

Tony Carr Anthony Carr MBE (born 5 September 1950) is an English sports coach and former Director of Youth Development at the West Ham United football club's youth academy and is recognised as one of the most influential figures in English football. A fo ...

, with whom he had played in the 1960s, to join the coaching staff. Ill health struck Bickles in 1997 when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer; the cause of his death on 1 November 1999. A few days later, on 4 November 1999, before a

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

game against Steaua Bucharest a minute's silence was held for Bickles and fellow West Ham player Johnny Byrne who had also recently died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bickles, Dave 1944 births 1999 deaths English men's footballers West Ham United F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Romford F.C. players English Football League players Men's association football defenders Deaths from kidney cancer in the United Kingdom Footballers from the London Borough of Newham People from West Ham Deaths from cancer in England West Ham United F.C. non-playing staff Association football coaches