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Stephen Forde[nb 2] (29 August 1914 – 1992) was an English footballer who played as a full-back in the Football League for Rotherham United and West Ham United.[5][6]

Steve Forde

Forde at West Ham United
Personal information
Full name	Stephen Forde[1]
Date of birth	(1914-08-29)29 August 1914
Place of birth	South Kirkby, Yorkshire, England
Date of death	c. July 1992 (aged 77–78)
Place of death	South Kirkby, Yorkshire, England[nb 1]
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
	South Kirkby Common Road
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
0000–1933	South Kirkby
1933	Sheffield Wednesday	0	(0)
1933–1937	Rotherham United	116	(1)
1937–1952	West Ham United	170	(1)
Teams managed
	Penzance
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Forde began his career as a junior at right-back, captaining his school team,[7] and playing with South Kirkby Common Road,[8] before joining South Kirkby.[9] In January 1933 he joined Sheffield Wednesday,[6] who played Ford as a centre-half. After just two months at Wednesday he moved to Rotherham United,[8] where he only missed two first team matches in four seasons.[10]

In January 1937, West Ham United paid a record fee of around £3,000,[11] to beat many other clubs to the signing of Forde from Rotherham. He was initially recruited for the reserve team as a replacement for Bill Adams.[3] He became a regular for the Irons' second string as a full-back, where he formed a partnership with Alf Chalkley.[7] He made his first-team debut on 2 April 1938, a 1–3 loss against Tottenham Hotspur.[12][13]

Wartime football

During World War II Forde worked in a colliery whilst making guest appearances primarily for West Ham,[14] where he played in the 1940 Football League War Cup semi-final win against Fulham.[15] In 1943 he made guest appearances for Hartlepool United,[16] and also featured for Sunderland and Swindon Town.[7]

After the war, he returned to competitive football with West Ham – his return 7 years, 9 months and 19 days after his previous game remains as the second-longest period between first-team appearances, behind Reg Attwell.[17] He became a regular feature for West Ham and was an ever-present during the 1947–48 season.[12] He retired in 1951 having made 170 Second Division appearances for the club.[18]

Coaching career

After ending his League career in 1951, he spent time as manager of Western League team Penzance.[12]

Family

His younger brother, John, was also a footballer who played for Stoke City and Gainsborough Trinity.[19]

Notes

References

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