Chris Freestone

Chris Freestone (born 4 September 1971) is an English former professional footballer.

Chris Freestone
Personal information
Full name Christopher Freestone
Date of birth (1971-09-04) 4 September 1971
Place of birth Nottingham, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1994 Arnold Town 60 (67)
1994–1997 Middlesbrough 9 (1)
1997 → Carlisle United (loan) 5 (2)
1997 → Northampton Town (loan) 2 (2)
1997–1999 Northampton Town 58 (12)
1999–2000 Hartlepool United 37 (7)
2000 → Cheltenham Town (loan) 5 (2)
2000–2001 Shrewsbury Town 27 (0)
2001–2003 Forest Green Rovers 1 (0)
2002 → Dundalk (loan)
2002 Rugby United
2002 King's Lynn
2002 Leek Town
2002–2004 Ilkeston Town
2004–2005 Gresley Rovers
2005 → Long Eaton United (loan)
2005–2007 Arnold Town 165 (52)
2013 Hucknall Town
2018 Gedling Miners Welfare 1 (1)
Teams managed
2009–2012 Arnold Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

As a young striker, Freestone joined Middlesbrough from Nottinghamshire club Arnold Town of the Northern Counties (East) League midway through the 1994–95 season. Before joining Boro for a small fee he had netted 54 goals for Arnold Town and had trials with Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Notts County and Chesterfield. Fast and confident, he had averaged almost a goal a game for Boro reserves in two seasons since joining. Freestone scored on his full first team debut in the 3–1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in April 1996.[1] His only other goal for Boro came in the League Cup against Barnet in September 1997.[2] He was also on the pitch as a late substitute as Boro confirmed their spot in the 1997 FA Cup Final with a semi final replay victory over Chesterfield,[3] however he was left out of the final match day squad altogether as they lost 2–0 to Chelsea. After a loan spell, Freestone joined Northampton in December 1997. The highlight of his time at Northampton was scoring two goals against Premier League side West Ham United in the 1998–99 League Cup. Freestone's brace in the first leg gave Northampton a 2–0 lead going into the second leg,[4] in which West Ham were only able to muster a 1–0 win with a Frank Lampard goal meaning that Northampton knocked out their illustrious opponents.[5] After leaving Northampton, Freestone had spells at Hartlepool and Cheltenham before signing for Shrewsbury Town. At Shrewsbury he failed to score in the league but did score once in the League Cup against Preston North End[6] and once in the FA Cup against former club Cheltenham.[7]

He subsequently played for several non-League clubs, including King's Lynn, Leek Town, Ilkeston Town,[8] Gresley Rovers, Long Eaton United, Arnold Town and Hucknall Town.[9][10]

He was appointed joint manager of Arnold Town alongside Martin Carruthers two games into the 2009–10 season.[11] They both left the club in June 2012.[12] He was later appointed Assistant Manager of Basford United in 2014.[9]

References
  1. "Wednesday not out of trouble yet". The Independent. 6 April 1996. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  2. "Hateley's Hull look forward to trip to the Palace". The Independent. 18 September 1997. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  3. Moore, Glenn (22 April 1997). "Foreign legion go back to Wembley". London: The Independent. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  4. "Northampton 2 West Ham 0". Sporting Life. 15 September 1998. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  5. "Hammer horror for Old Lady". The Guardian. 22 September 1998. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  6. "Worthington Cup 2000-2001 Season Round 1 Fixtures & Results". Sky Sports. 22 August 2000. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  7. "Cheltenham 4-1 Shrewsbury". BBC. 18 November 2000. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  8. Player Archive Leek Town F.C.
  9. Player Database - Chris Freestone Gresley F.C.
  10. Veteran Freestone in kind act to help out crisis-hit Yellows Nottingham Post, 5 January 2013
  11. Ghandi & Freeo's 142 game reign Archived 15 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine The all new Arnold Who, 3 July 2012
  12. Management Duo Leave Eagle Valley Northern Counties East League, 19 June 2012
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