David Needham (born 21 May 1949) is an English former 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 in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
,
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
and
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
,
and in the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to:
*North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league
*North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...
for the
Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to:
*Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League
*Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League
*Toronto Azzurri B ...
, in the 1970s and 1980s.
Playing career
Notts County
Needham started his career at
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
in 1966. He spent eleven years at the Magpies.
Queens Park Rangers
He was signed by
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
in the close season of 1977 for £90,000. He was signed to replace the recently retired
Frank McLintock
Francis McLintock MBE (born 28 December 1939) is a former Scotland international footballer, football manager and businessman. He also worked as a sports agent and football pundit in his later life.
He began his career in Scottish Junior footba ...
in the centre of QPR's defence. He only spent six months at the West London club.
Nottingham Forest
Newly promoted
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
signed him in December 1977 for £140,000. At the end of the 1977–78 season he had picked up a winners medal as Forest won the
First Division, but was ineligible for the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
which they won as he had played for QPR earlier in the competition. He did win a League Cup winners medal the following season when Forest retained the trophy, and was in the team which lost the 1980 final, when a mix-up between Needham and
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton (born 18 September 1949) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
His 30-year career included spells at 11 clubs and he has the distinction of playing over 1,000 league games, including in ...
led to the winning goal for
Andy Gray. He was an unused substitute in both of Forest's European Cup final wins in 1979 and 1980.
Toronto Blizzard
He left Forest in 1982 to play in Canada. He signed for
Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to:
*Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League
*Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League
*Toronto Azzurri B ...
in the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to:
*North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league
*North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...
.
International
Needham was capped six times for
England 'B', scoring twice.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Needham, David
1949 births
Living people
England B international footballers
English expatriate footballers
English expatriate sportspeople in Canada
English footballers
Expatriate soccer players in Canada
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
Nottingham Forest F.C. players
Notts County F.C. players
People educated at City of Leicester Boys' Grammar School
Footballers from Leicester
Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players
Kettering Town F.C. players
Association football defenders
UEFA Champions League winning players