John Anthony Roche (18 May 1932 – 1988) was an English
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
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
. Born in
Poplar, London
Poplar is a district in East London, England, the administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, borough of Tower Hamlets. Five miles (8 km) east of Charing Cross, it is part of the East End of London, East End.
It is identi ...
, he played professionally for
Millwall and
Crystal Palace between 1957 and 1960, making a total of 61
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 ...
appearances.
Career
Roche began his career in
non-league football
Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
with
Margate
Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...
before signing for
Millwall in 1957. In May 1959, he signed for
Crystal Palace then playing in the
Football League Fourth Division
The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...
.
He made a goal-scoring debut on 3 September in a home 3–2 win against
Oldham Athletic and went on to make 36 appearances that season, scoring 11 times. At the end of the 1959–60 season, he returned to Margate.
Personal life
Roche died in 1988, aged 53 or 54.
His grandson
Jamie Roche, born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and Roche's son (who himself played semi-professionally), is also a professional footballer.
References
External links
*
Johnny Roche at holmesdale.net
1932 births
1988 deaths
English men's footballers
Footballers from Poplar, London
Margate F.C. players
Millwall F.C. players
Crystal Palace F.C. players
Men's association football forwards
English Football League players
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