David Needham

David Needham
Personal information
Full name	David William Needham
Date of birth	21 May 1949 (age 75)
Place of birth	Leicester, England
Position(s)	Central Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team
1965–1977	Notts County
1977	Queens Park Rangers
1977–1982	Nottingham Forest
1982	Toronto Blizzard
1983–1986	Kettering Town
Total
International career
1978	England B
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

David Needham (born 21 May 1949) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Notts County, Queens Park Rangers and Nottingham Forest,^[1] and in the North American Soccer League for the Toronto Blizzard,^[2] in the 1970s and 1980s.

Playing career

Notts County

Needham started his career at Notts County in 1966. He spent eleven years at the Magpies.

Queens Park Rangers

He was signed by Queens Park Rangers in the close season of 1977 for £90,000. He was signed to replace the recently retired Frank McLintock in the centre of QPR's defence. He only spent six months at the West London club.

Nottingham Forest

Newly promoted Nottingham Forest signed him in December 1977 for £140,000. At the end of the 1977–78 season he had picked up a winners medal as Forest won the First Division, but was ineligible for the League Cup which they won as he had played for QPR earlier in the competition. He did win a League Cup winners medal the following season when Forest retained the trophy, and was in the team which lost the 1980 final, when a mix-up between Needham and Peter Shilton led to the winning goal for Andy Gray.^[3] He was an unused substitute in both of Forest's European Cup final wins in 1979 and 1980.

Toronto Blizzard

He left Forest in 1982 to play in Canada. He signed for Toronto Blizzard in the North American Soccer League.

International

Needham was capped six times for England 'B', scoring twice.^[4]

References

^ "Dave Needham". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
^ "North American Soccer League Players David Needham". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
^ "1980's - League Cup 50th Vote". The Football League. 10 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
^ Courtney, Barrie (21 March 2004). "England - International Results B-Team - Details". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2010.