Charlie Hurley
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Charles John Hurley (born 4 October 1936) is an Irish former footballer who played mainly in the
Center Back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
position. Hurley is best known for his long career at Sunderland, where he was named the Black Cats' "Player of the Century" by their fans on the occasion of the club's centenary in 1979. Nicknamed 'King,’ Hurley was a defender for both Sunderland and the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
. He ended his playing career at Bolton Wanderers and was later manager of
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
.


Early life

Hurley was born in Cork, Ireland, and his family moved to in
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
, England, when Charlie was seven months old. He later survived
The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...
, in which one of his best friends was killed, and as a teenager worked as an apprentice toolmaker. His first offer of a football contract was from West Ham but he turned it down as he could earn more for his family by continuing with his apprenticeship. However, at the age of sixteen he did eventually accept a contract offer from Millwall.


Career


Millwall

Hurley began his football career at
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
in 1953, making his debut at the age of seventeen in a 2–2 draw away to
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
on 30 January 1954. He went on to make 16 league appearances in the season. He followed this up with 38 league games in 1954–55 and also played three
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
ties. At the start of 1955–56, he was considered good enough to represent
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
in the first English team to play in a European competition. London beat t Frankfurt 3–2 at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
in the
Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecessor to the UEFA Cup (no ...
and the headline in the '' Daily Mail'' was HURLEY HOLDS . He was thus selected to play for the Republic of Ireland at aged 20 but a cruciate knee ligament injury, whilst representing the army side on his national service, ended any such plans and put Hurleys' career into doubt. Rehabilitation involved rest and then twelve to eighteen hours work a day for six weeks. On his recovery, Hurley swiftly returned to action but for the rest of his career the Irishman had to be particularly careful when making a sliding tackle and required constant treatment on his left knee. On Sunday 19 May 1957 Hurley made his long-awaited Irish debut against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in Dublin. The two sides had just met at Wembley and England had triumphed 5–1 with Manchester United's
Tommy Taylor Thomas Taylor (29 January 1932 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer, who was known for his aerial ability. He was one of the eight Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster. Career Taylor was born in Smithies, ...
scoring three times. Hurley was selected to mark Taylor and was set for a baptism of fire. England needed just a point to qualify for a place in the following summer's world cup finals in Sweden, whereas if Ireland were victorious it would set things up for a third and winners take all match against the sides. Only a last-minute
John Atyeo Peter John Walter Atyeo (7 February 1932 – 8 June 1993) was an English footballer who played as a striker. He spent the majority of his career at Bristol City. He won six England caps between 1955 and 1957, scoring five goals. Atyeo made 645 a ...
equaliser prevented Ireland from deservedly winning a game in which Hurley overshadowed Taylor, causing the Daily Mirror to comment: "it was the Irish who produced the new great world-class footballer in centre back Charlie Hurley. Half the clubs in the First Division will soon be knocking on Millwall's door offering £25,000 for him". By the start of the following season it was clear that Millwall had to cash in on their prize asset and in early October he was sold to Sunderland for a fee of £18,000. He was not yet 21 and despite having played for such a short time the fans of Millwall voted him their 'best ever player' in the Millwall fanzine The Lion Roars prior to the Dockers Day at the New Den in 2007. Hurley admitted he had no idea where Sunderland was but was to go on and become a big favourite on Wearside. (All sources in this section from Charlie Hurley – "The greatest centre half the world has ever seen" by Mark Metcalf, published in 2008 by Sportsbooks)


Sunderland

On 26 September 1957, Charlie Hurley arrived at
Roker Park Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated ...
to begin a career that would span 12 seasons and 402 appearances. Hurley's Sunderland career had a disastrous start; a 7–0 rout by Blackpool, coupled with him scoring an own goal on his debut, which was quickly followed by a 6–0 defeat by
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
. Hurley had been unfortunate enough to have competed against centre forwards who would later go on to represent England. In
Ray Charnley Raymond Ogden Charnley (29 May 1935 – 15 November 2009) was an English professional footballer. He was a centre forward and was one of the most prolific scorers for Blackpool, with whom he spent ten years, including all but one season in th ...
and
Ray Pointer Raymond Pointer (10 October 1936 – 26 January 2016) was a professional association footballer and England international who played as a striker. He had a long and successful playing career, totalling over 400 league appearances whilst play ...
, Blackpool and Burnley had strikers of the highest quality. Matters improved and eventually promotion was achieved in the 1963/64 season after two campaigns which had seen Sunderland miss out on top flight football due to consecutive last day failures against Swansea Town and
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. Curiously, for a man who was indelibly linked with powerful headed goals, it took 124 league and cup appearances for Sunderland before he broke his scoring duck. A 1–1 Boxing Day draw in 1960 against
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 ...
was the first of 43. Whilst the 1963/64 season was special for Sunderland AFC, resulting in promotion, it was also personally highly satisfactory for Hurley, who came second to Bobby Moore in voting for
FWA Footballer of the Year The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the FWA Footballer of the Year, or in England simply the Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in ...
. In the late sixties, alongside
Jimmy Montgomery Jimmy Montgomery BEM (born 9 October 1943) is an English retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made a record 627 appearances for his hometown club Sunderland with 537 of these appearances being in the league, after joining the cl ...
, Cecil Irwin,
Len Ashurst Leonard Ashurst (10 March 1939 – 25 September 2021) was an English football player, manager and administrator. He spent most of his playing career with Sunderland, making 458 appearances, the second most in the club's history. He retired a ...
, Martin Harvey and Jim McNab, Hurley formed one of the most notable and most settled back fives in Sunderland's history. Alan Brown's departure from Roker Park, to take over at
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 ...
saw first
George Hardwick George Francis Moutry Hardwick (2 February 1920 – 19 April 2004) was an English footballer, manager and coach. During his time as an active player, he was a left-sided defender for Middlesbrough. He was also a member of the England national f ...
and then Scotsman
Ian McColl John Miller "Ian" McColl (7 June 1927 – 25 October 2008) was a Scottish football player and manager. McColl played as a defender for Queen's Park and Rangers, while he also represented both the Scotland national team and the Scottish Leag ...
take over. During one match at Old Trafford in November 1966, first Hurley, and then
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
defender John Parke went in goal, as Montgomery had to leave the game because of an injury sustained in the first half. Hurley's last goal for Sunderland came against Arsenal in April 1968, typically a header. His last appearance in a red and white shirt was at Turf Moor, Burnley in April 1969. Hurley's greatest match was arguably the FA Cup 5th round victory at Carrow Road in February 1961, when he scored the only goal to dump
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
out of the competition. Sunderland would then go on to succumb to a Danny Blanchflower-inspired Spurs side, who became
double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...
winners for the first time in the 20th century. In a poll Sunderland fans voted him player of the century.


Bolton Wanderers

On 2 June 1969, Charlie moved to Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer. He spent three years at
Burnden Park Burnden Park was the home of English football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games there between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting the 1901 FA Cup Final replay, it was the scene in 1946 of one of the greatest disasters in English footba ...
and was a well-liked figure in the heart of the defence, so much so that he was given the opportunity to manage the club upon the departure of Jimmy Meadows only to reluctantly turn the chance down because his wife missed living in the South of England.


Managerial career

From 1972 to 1977 Charlie managed Reading F.C., then based at
Elm Park Elm Park is a suburban planned community in East London within the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is identified as a district centre in the London Plan with several streets of shops and a priority for ...
. One of his greatest moments was in the 4th round of the F.A. Cup in February 1972, when he guided Reading, then a 4th division outfit to a 4th-round meeting with the great double-winning Arsenal side. Over 20,000 people packed into Elm Park, and Charlie's charges narrowly lost 2–1 to a side containing
George Graham George Graham (born 30 November 1944), nicknamed "Stroller", is a Scottish former Association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. In his successful playing career, he made 455 appearances in England's Football ...
,
Charlie George Frederick Charles George (born 10 October 1950) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. George began his career as a youngster with Arsenal and was part of their 1970–71 League and FA Cup Double-winning team ...
, Geordie Armstrong, Bob Wilson,
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 footb ...
and other international-class players. Reading finished the season in sixteenth place in Division 4. During the 1972–73 season Hurley enjoyed an emotional 'home coming' when took his side to face Sunderland at Roker Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup. After a 1–1 draw Sunderland won the replay 3–1. The following spring the Reading manager took a gamble by purchasing Robin Friday from non-league Hayes F.C. Friday should have been playing in the top flight, but his temperament, drinking and smoking were a major handicap. Hurley was the only man to ever get the best out of Friday and in 1975–76 Reading won promotion, with Friday often playing brilliantly. The star of the Reading side was determined to move on, and Hurley allowed him to move to Cardiff for £30,000 before the start of the season, where he faded away and was eventually lost to the game. He died of a heart attack at just 38. Reading struggled without their best player, and, as they plummeted back to the lower flight, Hurley quit on 26 February 1977.


References

Charlie Hurley – "the greatest centre half the world has ever seen" by Mark Metcalf, published by Sportsbooks in 2008.


External links


Charlie Hurley
Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Transfer Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurley, Charlie 1936 births Living people Sportspeople from Cork (city) Association football defenders Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland international footballers Millwall F.C. players Sunderland A.F.C. players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players English Football League players Republic of Ireland football managers Republic of Ireland national football team managers Reading F.C. managers London XI players