Stephen Paul Halford (born 21 September 1980) is an English former professional footballer who subsequently managed several non-League clubs. He joined Mossley in July 2011 from Hyde, where he was also player-manager, before leaving the club in December 2011 and rejoining in January 2012 as player-manager. He has also played for Chester City, Accrington Stanley and Bury where he played in the Football League.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Paul Halford | ||
| Date of birth | 21 September 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Bury, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1997 | Bury | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2001 | Bury | 5 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Chester City | 10 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | Accrington Stanley | 57 | (2) |
| 2004–2005 | Radcliffe Borough | 4 | (0) |
| 2005–2010 | Droylsden | 103 | (6) |
| 2010–2011 | Hyde United | 27 | (1) |
| 2011 | Mossley | 21 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | Mossley | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2011 | Hyde United (joint-caretaker) | ||
| 2012–2013 | Mossley (player-manager) | ||
| 2013–2016 | Ashton United | ||
| 2016–2017 | Stalybridge Celtic | ||
| 2017–2018 | Glossop North End (joint manager) | ||
| 2018–2019 | Buxton (joint manager) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 May 2017 (UTC) | |||
Career
editBorn in Bury, Greater Manchester, he started his career at hometown club Bury where he played 5 games in the Football League, before joining Conference National side Chester City in October 2001. He later joined Accrington Stanley and then Droylsden, helping Droylsden to promotion into the Conference. On 9 December 2008 he scored the winning goal in Droylsden's FA Cup first-round tie with Chesterfield, taking Droylsden into the second round.[1] In September 2010 Halford was released from Droylsden after five years at the club making 103 league appearances scoring 6 goals, a brief statement on the website read "we are sad to see Steve leave the club and we thank him for his services".[2] Halford was also rejected following a trial with Notts County in 1993.[citation needed]
After his release from Droylsden in September 2010 he signed for their local rivals Hyde United on 1 October 2010.[3] He made his debut in a 3–1 win at Harrogate on 2 October 2010.[4] He was made captain for the game against Harrogate Town on 6 November 2010 in the absence of the club captain and assistant manager, Scott McNiven.[5] On 8 January 2011 he scored his first goal for Hyde in a 1–0 win over fellow strugglers Stafford Rangers, coming from a header from a Shaun Whalley corner.[6]
On 4 April 2011, he took over as joint player-manager on a caretaker basis at Hyde after the sacking of Neil Tolson.[7] Later that month Halford was awarded the Hyde Football Club Player's Player of the Year 2010–11 in his debut season with the tigers.[8] He was replaced as the joint-manager of Hyde before the start of the 2011–12 season by Gary Lowe.[9]
After being released by Hyde in June 2011, he joined Northern Premier League outfit Mossley. In January 2012, following the resignation of manager Gareth McClelland, he took over the reins as player-manager at Mossley AFC.[10] On 4 May 2013, Halford guided Mossley to a position in the Evo-Stik Northern League Division One North play-offs following a 3–0 win against Harrogate Railway Athletic.
He left the club in December 2011 and rejoined in January 2012 as player-manager.[11]
On 19 May 2017, he took over as joint manager at Glossop North End[12] In March 2018 Halford and Phillips became joint managers of Buxton.[13] He left Buxton in February 2019.[14]
Personal life
editAs well as playing for Mossley, Halford works as a window cleaner.[15]
Honours
editBury
Accrington Stanley
Droylsden
- Conference North: 2006–07
- Manchester Premier Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10
Individual
- Hyde Football Club Player's Player of the Year: 2010–11
References
edit- ^ Cross, Jamie (9 December 2008). "Steve Halford keeps Droylsden's FA Cup dreams alive at Chesterfield". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ Droylsden F.C. forum. September 2010
- ^ "In's and Out's at Ewen Fields". hydefc.co.uk. 1 October 2010. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
- ^ "Match Details: Harrogate Town 1–3 Hyde". hydefc.co.uk. 2 October 2010.
- ^ "Match Details: Hyde 1–0 Harrogate Town". hydefc.co.uk. 8 November 2010.
- ^ "Match Details: Hyde 1–0 Stafford Rangers". hydefc.co.uk. 8 January 2011.
- ^ "Statement from the Board". hydefc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ "Awards Night". hydefc.co.uk. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "New Managerial Appointment". hydefc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ "HALFORD BOOST FOR MOSSLEY". Non League Daily. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Halford gets Mossley job". NonLeagueDaily.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Halford and Phillips take the reins at Glossop North End". glossopnorthendafc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Buxton appoint Phillips and Halford as joint-managers[usurped] Non-League Daily, 12 March 2018
- ^ Buxton Part Company With Half Of Managerial Team Northern Premier League, 26 February 2019
- ^ Granada Reports, 2008-11-27, FA Cup feature including interview with Halford
External links
edit- Steve Halford at Soccerbase