Len Shackleton

Leonard Francis Shackleton was born in Bradford, England on 3 May 1922 to Leonard and Irene Shackleton; his father was a self-employed painter and decorator and his mother was a housewife. He was the elder brother to Irene and John; John went on to sign for Sunderland, though never played a first team game and quit the game to become a chiropodist and tennis coach. Shackleton attended Carlton High Grammar school, and became the first Bradford schoolboy to represent England schoolboys when he scored two goals in a 6–2 victory over Wales schoolboys; also in the team that day was future Sunderland teammate Dickie Davis.

Early career

Despite his family being keen Bradford City supporters, Shackleton signed amateur forms with Bradford Park Avenue after being signed by manager Billy Hardy. Bradford PA permitted him to play for Kippax United in the Leeds League. Arsenal's secretary-manager George Allison heard of Shackleton's talents, and drove to Bradford to sign him to amateur forms in 1938. Arsenal permitted him to play for Enfield in the Athenian League, and he in fact only represented Arsenal twice in reserve team fixtures in the Southern League. He was released by Arsenal in May 1939 and told by Allison that he was too small to succeed as a footballer, and should find other employment. Following this disappointment he took a job at London Paper Mills in Dartford, and turned out for the factory's works team in the Kent League.

Bradford Park Avenue…

Shackleton won his first full cap for England in a 0–0 draw with Denmark on 26 September 1948. He was dropped and replaced by Stan Pearson for England's next game, before making a surprise return in a 1–0 win over Wales at Villa Park on 10 November 1948. His third cap came again against Wales, in a 4–1 victory in Cardiff on 15 October 1949. He then had to wait five years for his fourth cap, in which time the England selectors had tried 17 different players at inside-forward, with limited success. Selectors had always viewed the rebellious Shackleton with distrust, and one selector who was challenged over Shackleton's continued absence in the England team told a journalist that "we play at Wembley, not the London Palladium." He made his return again against Wales, in a 3–2 victory at Wembley Stadium. He put in his finest performance however in his final England appearance, scoring with a chipped goal in a 3–1 win over the then World Champions West Germany on 1 December 1954. He later wrote that the goal was "my most memorable scoring effort in a lifetime of soccer... I felt a keen sense of satisfaction – not because the goal made our victory over Germany certain, but because I had decided exactly how to go about scoring it long before the chance presented itself. Anticipation and fulfilment."

Journalist Malcolm Hartley, wrote of Shackleton: "Apart from the adhesive ball control and breathtaking body swerve, Shack could hit a ball. His slender legs could crack the ball like a Bofors gun." One of his contemporaries remarked: "Once in possession, and few can match his dexterity at bringing the ball under control, the ball becomes his slave. All the skills of inside forward play – dribbling, feinting, correct positioning and accurate passing are his to command." A showman who liked to entertain the crowd, he was able to cut the ball with sufficient spin that it would roll towards an opponent only to stop and then return to him as though on a string. He was also adept at back heeling penalty kicks into the goal. He would rarely track back and defend however, and antics were sometimes criticised as "unsportsman-like". On one occasion, 2–1 up against Arsenal with 5 minutes to go, he dribbled the ball into The Gunners' penalty area before putting his foot on it, pretending to comb his hair while looking at his watch. Other examples include mocking opposition full-backs by playing one-twos with the corner flag, literally sitting on the ball to torment defenders who could not dispossess him, and teasing a beaten goalkeeper by putting his foot on the ball on the goal line. Sunderland teammate Trevor Ford wrote in his autobiography that: "where did it [Shackleton's antics] get us? Precisely nowhere. The result was that when he did make a move, the opposing defence was in…

While playing for Sunderland, Shackleton played cricket for Wearmouth Colliery and for Northumberland in the 1948 Minor Counties Championship. His genius and humour was also evident on the cricket field. At Wearmouth, he would entertain the crowd by pretending to miss slip catches, then looking behind him as if the ball had gone to the boundary, before producing the ball from his pocket. While at Sunderland he played for Wearmouth Colliery in the Durham Senior League. He also played cricket for Lidget Green in the Bradford League, and for Northumberland in the Minor Counties League.