Derek Stokes (13 September 1939 – 24 May 2022) was an English professional footballer who played for Bradford City and Huddersfield Town during the 1950s and 1960s, as a striker.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Derek Stokes[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1939-09-13)13 September 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Normanton, England | ||
| Date of death | 24 May 2022(2022-05-24) (aged 82) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bolton Wanderers | |||
| Snydale Road Athletic | |||
| 1956–1957 | Bradford City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1960 | Bradford City | 94 | (44) |
| 1960–1966 | Huddersfield Town | 153 | (65) |
| 1966–1967 | Bradford City | 32 | (11) |
| 1966–1970 | Dundalk | 62 | (29) |
| 1970 | Drogheda United | ||
| Total | 331 | (149) | |
| National team | |||
| 1962–1963 | England U23s | 4 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Born in Snydale near Normanton, Stokes was the youngest of 11 children, 10 boys and 1 girl.[2]
Stokes began his career with Bolton Wanderers and Snydale Road Athletic,[3] before moving from Snydale to Bradford City in May 1956.[4] He had two spells with the club which saw him score 55 goals in 126 league games.[5] He scored in 8 consecutive matches between 26 December 1959 and 6 February 1960, scoring a total of 14 goals; the record was later matched by Nahki Wells.[4]
His time at Bradford City was split by a spell with Huddersfield Town.[2] In total, he scored 120 goals in 279 Football League appearances for the two clubs.[6] He scored on both of his debuts for Bradford City and on his debut for Huddersfield.[4]
He later played in Ireland with Dundalk, scoring 58 goals in 122 goals in all competitions for the club, before finishing his career with Drogheda United.[7]
He also played for England under-23s.[5]
After retiring in 1970 he worked as a golf steward and publican. Stokes was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a form of dementia in 2019.[2] He retired to Charmouth in Dorset, then moved up to Wyke in Bradford.[4] He died on 24 May 2022, aged 82.[2]