Mick Hill (footballer)

Michael Richard Hill (born 3 December 1947 in Hereford England[1] – died 23 June 2008) was an English-born, Welsh international footballer who played as a forward.

Mick Hill
Personal information
Full name Michael Richard Hill
Date of birth (1947-12-03)3 December 1947
Place of birth Hereford, England
Date of death 23 June 2008(2008-06-23) (aged 60)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Bethesda Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1965–1969 Sheffield United 37 (9)
1969–1973 Ipswich Town 66 (18)
1972 → Blackpool (loan) 0 (0)
1973–1976 Crystal Palace 45 (6)
1976–1978 Cape Town City
Total 148 (33)
National team
1971 Wales 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Club

Hereford-born Hill started his career with Bethesda Athletic and joined Sheffield United in September 1965. His first-team chances were limited, making just 37 appearances for the Yorkshire club in four years. He scored nine goals, his second in a Sheffield Derby game at the end of the 1966–67 season.

Hill moved to Ipswich Town for £33,000 in October 1969, where he scored 20 goals in 77 appearances. He was loaned to Blackpool for a month in June 1972 and played in the Anglo-Italian Cup Final defeat against A.S. Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. The possibility of his joining permanently was killed off when Ipswich rejected the club's undisclosed offer. Blackpool manager Bob Stokoe commented: "I spoke to Ipswich manager Bobby Robson last night, but we cannot come to an agreement at this stage. We went to what we felt we could afford. I appreciate Bobby Robson's gesture in letting us have Mick for a month so that we could assess him."[2]

Hill was transferred for £35,000 to Crystal Palace in December 1973,[1] where he made a further 45 appearances, scoring another six times. In February 1976,[1] Hill moved on to South African football with Cape Town City.

He was a traditional target man for most of his career who earned the nickname 'Mick The Flick' for his propensity to move the ball quickly and with guile when he received it.

His first-team career ended with a total of 33 goals in 159 games.

International

In 1971, Hill played twice for Wales, against Czechoslovakia and Romania in the UEFA European Football Championship qualifying competition.

Death

Hill died on 23 June 2008, aged 60[3] Mick Mills, his captain at Ipswich, paid this tribute: "Mick was an exceptionally nice lad who everyone liked. He was a decent player with a good touch, but suffered somewhat for taking his off-field approach for life on to the park."[2]

References
  1. Mike Purkiss & Nigel Sands. Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. p. 328. ISBN 0907969542.
  2. Gillatt, Peter (30 November 2009). Blackpool FC on This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-905411-50-2.
  3. "Hereford-born Wales international footballer Mick Hill dies at just 60". Hereford Times. Retrieved 7 June 2018.

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