Derek Marshall Hawksworth (16 July 1927 – 24 March 2021) 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 le ...

who played in the position of winger for

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

Football career

Hawksworth started his career with

Bradford Park Avenue Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club is an association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in , at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The name derived from their former hom ...

in 1946, before moving to

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...

, although he never made an appearance for either club. In 1948, he moved to

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

and made 75 appearances with 20 goals for the

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

side. Hawksworth was 23 when he signed for Sheffield United in 1950 in a double transfer along with fellow winger

Alf Ringstead Alfred Ringstead (14 October 1927 – 15 January 2000) was a professional footballer who played in the position of outside right for Sheffield United between 1950 and 1959. He was the son of jockey Charlie Ringstead. As a 14-year-old, Ringstea ...

, for a total outlay of £15,000. He was strong, fast and dangerous near goal, and was at his best in an

outside-left Forwards (also known as attackers) are Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring Goal (sport)#Association footbal ...

position, but served United well in all the other forward positions. He played an integral part in United's 7–3 defeat of

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

in the

Steel City derby The Steel City Derby (also known as the Sheffield Derby) is a local derby that takes place between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, the two professional football league teams based in the city of Sheffield, England. It is widely consi ...

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...

on 8 September 1951, scoring an equaliser and a fourth goal in a match never to be forgotten by Blades fans. In total, he played 255

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

matches for Sheffield United, and scored 88 league goals in his seven years at Bramall Lane. He was transferred to Huddersfield Town in 1958 in an exchange deal, which saw Ronnie Simpson moving to

United United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

. He played 55 league matches, scoring 14 goals for the Terriers. In 1959, he signed for Lincoln City, scoring 14 times in 36 league matches. He ended his career back with Bradford City, for one final year. Scoring eight goals from 44 appearances for the Bantams.

Death

Hawksworth died peacefully at home on 24th March 2021, aged 93, following a short illness. He was surrounded by his family and had received many well wishes from friends.

Honours

Club

Sheffield United *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

: 1952–53

References

* Clarebrough, Denis (1989). ''Sheffield United F.C., The First 100 years''. Sheffield United Football Club. . * Young, Percy A. (1962). ''Football in Sheffield''. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. . * A to Z Encyclopedia, Sheffield United Match Day Programme, 22 March 1986. * They Played at the Lane, Sheffield United Match Day Programme, 17 September 1988. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawksworth, Derek 1927 births 2021 deaths English footballers English Football League players Association football wingers Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Footballers from Bradford