John Hurst 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 ...

. Born in Blackpool,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, Hurst joined the youth system for Everton, making his first team debut in the 1965–66 season. Originally a striker, Everton manager

Harry Catterick Harry Catterick (26 November 1919 – 9 March 1985) was an English football player and manager. As a player Catterick played for Everton and Crewe Alexandra, in a career that was interrupted by World War II, but he is most notable as a manager. ...

made Hurst into a

centre-half 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 ...

, a position in which he appeared in the

1968 FA Cup Final The 1968 FA Cup Final was the 87th final of the FA Cup. It took place on 18 May 1968 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between West Bromwich Albion and Everton. West Brom won 1–0 after extra time. Jeff Astle scored the winning goal, thus a ...

. He formed a defensive partnership with

Brian Labone Brian Leslie Labone (23 January 1940 – 24 April 2006) was an English footballer who played for and captained Everton. A one-club man, Labone's professional career lasted from 1958 to 1971, during which he won the Football League championsh ...

, the club captain of Everton at the time. Following the introduction of substitutes to English football in 1965 (for injury only) Hurst became Everton's first ever sub replacing

Fred Pickering Frederick Pickering (19 January 1941 – 9 February 2019) was an English professional footballer. He played as a forward. Career Domestic career Pickering began his career with his hometown club, Blackburn Rovers, in 1959, signing professi ...

at Stoke City's

Victoria Ground The Victoria Ground was the home ground of Stoke City from 1878 until 1997, when the club relocated to the Britannia Stadium after 119 years. At the time of its demolition it was the oldest operational ground in the Football League. History ...

in August 1965. Everton won the league title in the 1969–70 season and Hurst was an ever-present during this campaign, making 42 appearances and contributing 5 goals. He also won the 1970 FA Charity Shield with Everton. Hurst was transferred to

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

following the 1975–76 season. After his playing career Hurst remained in the game, working as a coach at Everton, and as a scout for Manchester City, then managed by his former teammate,

Joe Royle Joseph Royle (born 8 April 1949) is an English football manager and former footballer. In his playing career as a striker, he debuted for Everton at the age of 16 and went on to play for Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the ...

Sources

John Hurst at Everton Stats

References

English footballers England under-23 international footballers Everton F.C. players Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Sportspeople from Blackpool 1947 births Living people Association football midfielders FA Cup Final players {{england-footy-midfielder-1940s-stub