Name Irving Nattrass Years Team Role Football player | ||
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Date of birth (1952-12-20) 20 December 1952 (age 62) | ||
Irving Nattrass (born 20 December 1952) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Newcastle and Middlesbrough
Born in Fishburn, England Nattrass attended Ferryhill Grammar School and Signed with Newcastle at age 16 on an apprenticeship.
As a youth player Irving lacked confidence and made slow progress within the club, even going so far as to look for employment elsewhere as a mechanic, however he soon found his stride and went on to sign professionally for the club in July 1970 aged 17. A year later Irving went on to make his debut against Derby.
The then Newcastle manager Joe Harvey once commented "Nattrass is my Paul Madeley and I can't pay him a bigger compliment than that". Paul Madeley was a Leeds and England player who was dubbed the "Rolls Royce" of footballers.
Hampered by injuries and disagreements with the Newcastle board he eventually moved to Middlesbrough for the sum of £375,000. Nattrass made his league debut for them against Arsenal on 15 September 1979.
Nattrass is now a successful businessman and keen golfer.