Gary Locke (English footballer)

Gary Robert Locke[1] (born 12 July 1954) is an English former footballer born in Willesden, London,[2] who played in the Football League for Chelsea[3] and Crystal Palace,[4] and in the Allsvenskan for Halmstads BK.

Gary Locke
Personal information
Full name Gary Robert Locke
Date of birth (1954-07-12) 12 July 1954
Place of birth Park Royal, London, England
Playing position(s) Full back
Youth career
– Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971–1983 Chelsea 272 (3)
1982–1986 Crystal Palace 84 (1)
1986 Halmstads BK 20 (0)
1987–1991 Napier City Rovers 109 (9)
1992 Waikato United
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Locke was born in Park Royal but moved to Willesden as a six-year-old with his family in 1960.

A right-back, Locke spent much of his career at Chelsea, making more than 300 league and cup appearances for the west London side between 1972 and 1983.[2] He turned professional in July 1971,[5] made his debut in a 3–1 win against Coventry City in the First Division on 30 September 1972,[2] and scored his first goal for the club against the same opponents on 24 August 1974. Capable of making overlapping attacking runs up the wing, he was chosen as Chelsea Player of the Year in the 1973–74 season.[6]

In 1983, after a spell on loan at the club, he moved to Crystal Palace on a permanent basis, making another 101 league and cup appearances in total,[7] before spending the 1986 season in Sweden with Halmstads BK.[8][9]

In 1987 Locke was brought to New Zealand by newly promoted national league club Napier City Rovers. He captained the team in 1988 and helped the club win the national league championship in 1989. Locke was left out of Napier's squad for the 1992 national league campaign.

References
  1. Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel. Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. The Breedon Books Publishing Company. p. 332. ISBN 0907969542.
  2. "Gary Locke Chelsea FC". Football Heroes. Sporting Heroes Collections. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  3. "Chelsea : 1946/47–2008/09". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  4. "Crystal Palace : 1946/47–2008/09". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  5. "Hutchinson not going on tour". The Times. 24 July 1971. p. 11.
  6. "Player of the Year 2009". Chelsea F.C. 7 May 2009. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  7. "Appearances". Crystal Palace F.C. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  8. "HBK i Allsvenskan: 1986" (in Swedish). Halmstads BK. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  9. "Matcherna 1986" (PDF) (in Swedish). Halmstads BK. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  • Gary Locke at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database


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