John Archer

Port Vale

Archer graduated through the Port Vale junior squad to sign as a professional in July 1958. He made his Third Division debut in the 1959–60 campaign under manager Norman Low. He scored twice against Wrexham in a 3–1 victory at Vale Park on 16 April 1960, finishing the campaign with three goals in six games. However, he featured just four times on 1960–61 and was moved on to league rivals Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic on a free transfer in May 1961, then managed by Bill McGarry.

Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic

He scored two goals on his club debut. Bournemouth were pushing promotion and finished in third place, three points short of promotion in 1961–62. They finished fifth place in 1962–63, six points short of their target. A fourth-place finish followed in 1963–64, four points shy of promotion. They then dropped to eleventh place in 1964–65 under Reg Flewin. Archer left the club following a further slip down the table in 1965–66 under Freddie Cox's stewardship. He scored 37 goals in 139 league games on the south coast.

Crewe Alexandra

He then moved on to Ernie Tagg's Crewe Alexandra for a £3,000 fee and was converted from an inside forward into a midfielder. Crewe were aiming for promotion in the Fourth Division, but the "Railwaymen" finished fifth in 1966–67, four points short of promotion. Crewe won promotion the following season, though Archer left the club midway through.

Huddersfield Town

In January 1968, Archer was…

Able to play as an inside forward or midfielder, Archer was a slow, stocky and aggressive player who had good technical qualities, vision and set piece ability. These abilities made up for a lack of pace, whilst his leadership compensated for his occasional lack of discipline.

After retiring from the professional game, Archer became player-manager of Sandbach Ramblers and also appeared for Congleton Town before holding the managerial reins at Nantwich Town from January 1982 to the end of the season. He also scouted in Wales and the West Country for former club Chesterfield. He also worked as a greenkeeper at Malkins Bank course, near Sandbach. He also served as the President of the Wrekin Federation of Pigeon Fanciers. Archer died in December 2021, aged 80.

Chesterfield

Football League Fourth Division: 1969–70