Pat Kruse

Pat Kruse
Personal information
Full name Patrick Karl Kruse[1]
Date of birth (1953-11-30) 30 November 1953
Place of birth Arlesey, England
Playing position Centre back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
Arlesey Town
1972–1975 Leicester City 2 (0)
1974 → Mansfield Town (loan) 6 (1)
1975 → Torquay United (loan) 10 (0)
1975–1977 Torquay United 69 (4)
1977–1982 Brentford 186 (12)
1982 → Northampton Town (loan) 18 (0)
1982–1983 Barnet 28 (1)
Total 291 (17)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

Pat Kruse is an English former professional football Centre Back who is best remembered for his five-year spell in the Football League with Brentford, for whom he made over 200 appearances.[1] Kruse is known for scoring what is believed to be the fastest own goal of all time, netting past his own keeper after just eight seconds of a match in January 1977.[2][3][4][5]

Career

Arlesey Town

A Centre Back, Kruse began his career at hometown South Midlands League Premier Division club Arlesey Town.[6] He departed in June 1970.[7]

Leicester City

Kruse secured a move to the top tier of English football in June 1970 when he signed for the club he supports, Leicester City.[7][8] He spurned the interest of fellow top flight side West Ham United to sign for Leicester.[8] He had to wait over two years to make his professional debut for the Foxes, which came with a start in a 1–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on 27 April 1974.[6] Owing to Malcolm Munro's injury, he filled in again two days later versus Norwich City, this time helping Leicester to a clean sheet in a 3–0 win.[6] Kruse failed to make another first team appearance for the Foxes and departed in March 1975, having made just two appearances in three years at Filbert Street.[9] Looking back in 2005, Kruse felt he would have been better suited to transferring to West Ham United, rather than Leicester City.[8]

Mansfield Town (loan)

Kruse moved to Division Four side Mansfield Town on loan in September 1974.[10] He made six appearances and scored one goal during his spell.[11] The Stags went on to secure promotion to Division Three as champions at the end of the 1974/75 season.[12]

Torquay United (loan and permanent signing)

Kruse linked up with former Leicester City assistant manager Malcolm Musgrove to sign for Division Four side Torquay United on loan in March 1975.[8][9] He made 10 appearances during the remainder of the 1974/75 season and signed permanently at the end of the campaign. Kruse went on to truly establish himself in the team the following season, featuring as an ever-present as the Gulls mustered a ninth-place finish.[13] Kruse's performances were such that he won the club's 1975/76 Player of the Year award.[5] The most memorable event of Kruse's time with Torquay came in a match versus Cambridge United in January 1977, when he scored what is claimed to be the quickest own goal of all time, scoring after just eight seconds of play.[3][4] Kruse departed Torquay in March 1977, having made 79 league appearances and scored four goals during two years at Plainmoor.[14]

Brentford

Kruse joined Division Four strugglers Brentford in March 1977, for what was then a club-record fee for a defender, £20000.[1] Opinions about the transfer were mixed, as he had been Brentford striker Gordon Sweetzer's marker in his final game for Torquay United, in which Sweetzer had scored a hattrick.[1] The move reunited him with his former Leicester City coach Bill Dodgin.[15] Kruse quickly established himself in the team, making 15 appearances and scoring two goals in what remained of the 1976/77 season, ending the possibility of the Bees having to seek re-election.[1][16] He flourished under Bill Dodgin's management and became a stalwart in the Brentford defence for the next four seasons,[15] assuming the captaincy and forming partnerships with other centre backs Paul Shrubb, Nigel Smith and Danis Salman.[8] Kruse averaged 42 appearances a season and helped the side to promotion to Division Three in the 1977/78 season.[1] His performances during the 1979/80 season won him the club's Player of the Year award.[8] Kruse was out of favour under new manager Fred Callaghan during the 1981/82 season and made just three appearances.[1] He left Brentford at the end of the season, having made 201 appearances and scored 12 goals in just over five years at Griffin Park.[1]

Northampton Town (loan)

In search of regular football, Kruse joined Division Four strugglers Northampton Town in February 1982.[17] He made 18 appearances during his spell, without scoring.[18]

Barnet

Kruse dropped into Non-League football to sign for Alliance Premier League side Barnet in 1982.[19] He made 28 appearances and scored one goal before retiring at the end of the 1982/83 season.[19] Differences with manager Barry Fry saw Kruse turn his back on the game at age 29.[8]

Personal life

During his time at Brentford, Kruse commuted to the town from his Midlands home with David McKellar and picked up Jim McNichol and Bob Booker on the way.[15] After retiring from football, Kruse settled in Hitchin and became a builder.[15]

Honours

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. pp. 139–140. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  2. ↑ Bill Edgar (17 July 2006). "Hilarity and tragedy: curse of the own goal". The Times.
  3. 1 2 Gifford, Clive (2010). The Kingfisher Football Encyclopedia. Kingfisher. p. 29. ISBN 0753419610.
  4. 1 2 "Levski Sofia defender in tears after own goal record". Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 https://www.torbay.gov.uk/tqyutdlocalstudies.pdf
  6. 1 2 3 "Pat Kruse – Leicester City career stats – FoxesHistory". FoxesTalk Forum. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Transfers to or from Arlesey Town – FoxesHistory". FoxesTalk Forum. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lane, David (2005). Cult Bees & Legends: Volume Two. Hampton Hill: Legends Publishing. pp. 46–59. ASIN B00NPZL58S. ISBN 0954368282.
  9. 1 2 "Pat Kruse". 11v11.com. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Transfers made by Jimmy Bloomfield – FoxesHistory". FoxesTalk Forum. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "MANSFIELD TOWN : 1946/47 – 2007/08". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database.
  12. ↑ "Football Club History Database – Mansfield Town". Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "Football Club History Database – Torquay United". Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  14. ↑ "TORQUAY UNITED : 1946/47 – 2006/07 & 2009/10". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Brentford Official Matchday Magazine versus Mansfield Town 08/08/98. Blackheath: Morganprint. 1998. p. 19.
  16. ↑ "Brentford Football Club History". Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "Barry Hugman's Footballers - Pat Kruse". hugmansfootballers.com. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  18. ↑ "NORTHAMPTON TOWN : 1946/47 – 2009/10". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database.
  19. 1 2 Footymad Limited. "Disappointing end to the season for the Bees !!". Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  20. ↑ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the 70s. Legends Publishing. p. 295. ISBN 978-1906796709.
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