Norman Corner
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Norman Corner | ||
| Date of birth | 16 February 1943 | ||
| Place of birth | Horden, England | ||
| Date of death | 19 February 2011 (aged 68) | ||
| Place of death | England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre half / Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1960–1961 | Horden Colliery Welfare | ||
| 1961–1962 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| 1962 | Horden Colliery Welfare | ||
| 1962–1964 | Hull City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1964–1967 | Hull City | 5 | (4) |
| 1967–1969 | Lincoln City | 45 | (12) |
| 1969–1972 | Bradford City | 110 | (16) |
| 1972–1973 | Bradford (Park Avenue) | ||
| 1973–1974 | South Shields | ||
| Wingate | |||
| Horden Colliery Welfare | |||
| Total | 160 | (32) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| Wingate | |||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
James Norman Corner, known as Norman Corner, (16 February 1943 – 19 February 2011) was an English professional footballer who could play as either a centre half or a forward. Active in the Football League between 1964 and 1971, Corner made 160 appearances, scoring 32 goals.[1]
Early life
Corner was born in the mining village of Horden,[2] in County Durham, England, on 16 February 1943.[3] He attended Horden Roman Catholic School where he played centre half and wing half for the football team, and was selected for East Durham Boys.[3]
Career
Corner played youth football with Horden Colliery Welfare before he signed amateur forms at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1961.[2][3] He spent 18 months with Wolves but was restricted to appearances in the Northern Intermediate League teams and returned to Horden Colliery Welfare.[2][3] In August 1962, he again attracted a league club and he signed for Hull City on professional forms.[2] Corner's debut for Hull came against Brentford in April 1964 when he scored twice in a 3–1 win at Griffin Park.[3] However, he played only five first team games, scoring four goals, in five years, during which time Hull turned down an approach from Brian Clough at Hartlepools United,[4] before Lincoln City signed Corner for a fee just short of £4,000.[2]
He made his Lincoln debut on 7 October 1967 against Newport County to help his new side win 2–1.[3] In April 1968, he scored a hat-trick against Bradford (Park Avenue)[2] with all three goals coming from corners.[3] His final game with Lincoln came on 18 January 1969 in a 2–2 draw with Brentford.[3]
The same month, Bradford City paid a fee also close to £4,000 for Corner.[2] At 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), he was the tallest player to have played for the club at the time.[2] He made his debut in a Bradford derby against Park Avenue on 25 January 1969[2] and scored his first goal in the following game which finished in a 5–1 victory against Grimsby Town.[5] He helped City to 21 games undefeated to earn them promotion in his first season at the club during which period he scored eight goals.[2][5] In his second season, he tallied another five goals and also scored in a League Cup match against Sunderland.[5] In his third season, he moved into defence, but still scored in all four of the club's FA Cup games.[5] However, along with Bruce Bannister he was unable to agree personal terms with the club.[2] He appealed to an independent tribunal which proved to be unsuccessful but left the club on a free transfer to join Park Avenue in March 1972.[2] His last game for City was in December 1971, against Aston Villa.[5]
Corner had passed his coaching exams while with City, and started coaching at Park Avenue.[3]
In July 1973, he moved to South Shields.[2] He played one season with South Shields, before he took over as player-manager at Wingate in the Wearside League.[3] They came runners-up in the league and won a number of cup competitions under his guidance.[3]
He returned to Horden Colliery and scored their first goal in the Northern League following promotion from the Wearside League.[3] He remained at the club on the committee.[3]
He went onto begin his own business and coached in schools.[2]
Later life and death
After returning to the North-East, Corner lived in Horden, where he served on the committee at his former club Colliery Welfare, and later Peterlee.[4] He was married to Jean, with whom he had two children Susan and Steven.[4] Corner died on 19 February 2011, three days after his 68th birthday.[5] His funeral was held at Horden Catholic Church,[4] next to the Colliery Welfare's home ground.
References
- ↑ "Profile". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Frost 1988, p. 94
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Norman Corner: 1943–2011". Lincoln City F.C. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 Cook, Paul (22 February 2011). "Footballer Norman Corner dies three days after 68th birthday". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Norman Corner 1943–2011". Bradford City A.F.C. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- Bibliography
- Frost, Terry (1988), Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988, Breedon Books Sport, ISBN 0-907969-38-0