Derek Possee (born 14 February 1946) is an English former professional
footballer who played as a
winger. In a professional career which lasted from 1963 to 1979, Possee made over 400 league appearances, scoring over 100 league goals. He is
Millwall's third
all-time leading scorer, with 87 goals in all competitions.
Career
Born in
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
, Possee began his career as an apprentice at
Tottenham Hotspur, before becoming a professional there. In January 1964 he scored on his debut in a 3–1 victory over
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
at
White Hart Lane.
Possee also played in
the Football League for
Millwall,
Crystal Palace and
Leyton Orient.
He signed for
St Patrick's Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played origin ...
in October 1977 under
Barry Bridges and scored twice on his debut on the 16th.
Possee then spent three seasons in the
North American Soccer League with the
Vancouver Whitecaps, helping them to win the
Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's founding ...
in 1979.
Possee suffered tragedy in his post playing career life. His son Danny, aged 22, was shot and killed by police in 1992 whilst they were executing a warrant for a narcotics arrest.
''Vancouver Sun'' news report
Retrieved 21 June 2010
Honours
* Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's founding ...
** Vancouver Whitecaps 1979
References
External links
*
NASL career stats
Sporting Heroes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Possee, Derek
1946 births
Living people
English footballers
Association football forwards
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Millwall F.C. players
Crystal Palace F.C. players
Leyton Orient F.C. players
English Football League players
St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players
League of Ireland players
Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984) players
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
English expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Expatriate soccer players in Canada
English expatriate footballers
Expatriate association footballers in the Republic of Ireland