John Frederick Delve (born 27 September 1953) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He made 493 appearances in the Football League for Queens Park Rangers, Plymouth Argyle, Exeter City and Hereford United.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Frederick Delve[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1953-09-27) 27 September 1953 (age 68)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Ealing,[1] England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Queens Park Rangers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1972–1974 | Queens Park Rangers | 15 | (0) |
| 1974–1978 | Plymouth Argyle | 132 | (6) |
| 1978–1983 | Exeter City | 215 | (20) |
| 1983–1987 | Hereford United | 118 | (11) |
| 1987–1988 | Gloucester City | 14 | (1) |
| 1988 | Exeter City | 13 | (1) |
| – | Elmore | ||
| – | Minehead | ||
| – | Taunton Town | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Delve began his career with Queens Park Rangers and made 15 league appearances before a £30,000 transfer to Plymouth Argyle in 1974.[3] He played regularly in the team that won promotion to the Second Division in the 1974–75 season and continued to feature often in the next two campaigns.[3][4] Delve eventually lost his place in the side to Gary Megson and, after scoring six goals in 151 league and cup games, moved to Exeter City in 1978.[3][4] In five years with the club, Delve scored 20 times in 215 appearances and helped Exeter reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup during the 1980–81 season.[5]
He was transferred to Hereford United in 1983, where he again made more than a century of league appearances.[5] Having spent four years there, Delve played non-league football for Gloucester City in 1987–88 and returned to Exeter to make the last of his Football League appearances.[5][6] He went on to play non-league football for Elmore, Minehead and Taunton Town.[3][5][6]