Chris Hemming

Christopher Andrew John Hemming (born 13 April 1966) is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Stoke City and Wigan Athletic.[1][2] He is known as the first professional footballer to play whilst having a pacemaker.[1]

Chris Hemming

Personal information
Full name	Christopher Andrew John Hemming[1]
Date of birth	(1966-04-13) 13 April 1966[1]
Place of birth	Newcastle-under-Lyme, England[1]
Playing position(s)	Defender
Youth career
1981–1983	Stoke City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1983–1989	Stoke City	93	(2)
1988	→ Wigan Athletic (loan)	4	(0)
1989–1991	Hereford United	41	(3)
1991–1992	Merthyr Tydfil	21	(0)
1992	Macclesfield Town
1992–1994	Stafford Rangers	76	(2)
Total		235	(7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Hemming was a product of Stoke's youth system and he made his professional debut in the 1983–84 season which came in a 1–0 defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur on 3 March 1984.[1] He played in the awful 1984–85 season which saw Stoke relegated to the Second Division with a record low points tally.[1] Hemming became a useful member of Mick Mills' squad but he made the national sporting headlines when he was fitted with a pacemaker and still managed to continue playing professional football.[1] He played in 106 games for Stoke before joining Wigan Athletic on loan then permanently to Hereford United in 1989.[1] He later went on to play for non-league Merthyr Tydfil,[3] Macclesfield Town and Stafford Rangers.[1]

Career statistics

Source:[4]

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Stoke City	1983–84	First Division	3	0	0	0	0	0	—		3	0
	1984–85	First Division	16	1	0	0	1	0	—		17	1
	1985–86	Second Division	24	0	1	0	1	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	27	0
	1986–87	Second Division	22	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	24	0
	1987–88	Second Division	24	1	0	0	2	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	27	1
	1988–89	Second Division	4	0	0	0	2	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	7	0
	Total		93	2	1	0	8	0	3	0	105	2
Wigan Athletic (loan)	1988–89	Third Division	4	0	0	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 2]	0	6	0
Hereford United	1989–90	Fourth Division	35	2	4	0	2	0	4[lower-alpha 2]	2	45	4
	1990–91	Fourth Division	6	1	2	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 2]	0	10	1
	Total		41	3	6	0	2	0	6	2	55	5
Career total			138	5	7	0	10	0	11	2	166	7

1. Appearances in Full Members' Cup
2. Appearances in Football League Trophy

References

1. Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
2. Lowe, Simon (2000). Stoke City The Modern Era – A Complete Record. Desert Island Books. ISBN 1-874287-39-2.
3. Harman, John (2005). Alliance to Conference. Tony Williams Publications. p. 457. ISBN 978-1-869833-52-7.
4. Chris Hemming at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

External links

• Chris Hemming at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
• Chris Hemming profile at thisnorthernsoul.co.uk