Full name David Swindlehurst 1973–1980 Crystal Palace Place of birth Edgware, England Name Dave Swindlehurst | ?–1973 Crystal Palace Role Footballer Years Team | |
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Date of birth (1956-01-06) 6 January 1956 (age 59) | ||
5. Tottenham vs West Ham United, Sep 3rd 1983
David "Dave" Swindlehurst (born 6 January 1956 in Edgware, Middlesex) is an English former footballer who played as a striker.
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Career
Swindlehurst came up through the ranks at Crystal Palace, playing youth football in the early 1970s with future West Ham United team-mate Alan Devonshire. Starting his senior career in 1973, he played for Palace for eight seasons and amassed 81 goals in 278 appearances. Swindlehurst first joined Derby County as a loan player, two months before his transfer was made permanent in April 1980. Derby paid £410,000.
A good record for Derby led to interest from Aston Villa but it was John Lyall who brought Swindlehurst to Upton Park for £160,000 in March 1983. Injuries hampered his chances of regular first-team football. He played his last game for West Ham on 27 April 1985 against Luton Town and after two seasons and 71 League and cup games for the East Londoners, he moved on to Sunderland.
After a spell in Cyprus with Anorthosis Famagusta, Swindlehurst returned to London to play for Wimbledon, but he managed just two appearances in the season they won the 1988 FA Cup Final, beating Liverpool. He later played for Colchester United, and on loan at Peterborough United.
After spells playing and coaching at non-League Bromley and Molesey, he rejoined his old club Crystal Palace to take up a coaching role within the youth academy. He was promoted to reserve team manager in 2001, but was sacked in October 2002.
Swindlehurst joined Crawley Town as assistant manager in 2003. He was sacked in September 2005 and won an unfair dismissal claim against the club the following year. He took the manager's job at Isthmian League Division One South side Whyteleafe in December 2006, and remained there until the end of the following season.