Martin Reagan

Charles Martin Reagan (12 May 1924 – 26 December 2016) was an English professional footballer and coach / manager. During his playing career, Reagan played in the Football League for York City, Hull City, Middlesbrough, Shrewsbury Town, Portsmouth and Norwich City. He later coached the England women's national football team. Prior to his football career Reagan served as a Staff Sgt Tank Commander in World War II.

Martin Reagan
Personal information
Full name Charles Martin Reagan
Date of birth (1924-05-12)12 May 1924
Place of birth Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
Date of death 26 December 2016(2016-12-26) (aged 92)
Position(s) Winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1946 York Railway Institute
1946–1947 York City 1 (0)
1947–1948 Hull City 18 (1)
1948–1951 Middlesbrough 24 (4)
1951–1952 Shrewsbury Town 58 (9)
1952–1954 Portsmouth 5 (0)
1954–1956 Norwich City 34 (4)
1956– March Town United
Total 140 (18)
Teams managed
March Town United
Goole Town
1979–1990 England Women
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

From 1947-48 Reagan made 18 appearances for Hull, where he attracted the attention of Middlesbrough, in 1948 paid £5,000 to sign Reagan from Hull City. Over the next three years he scored four goals in 25 league and cup appearances, and is credited with scoring Middlesbrough's 1000th league goal,[1][2] before joining Shrewsbury Town. On New Year's Eve 1952 Portsmouth bought Reagan from Shrewsbury for £12,000 and played him in their next five matches. Reagan did not play for Portsmouth again but remained with the club until August 1954 when he joined Norwich City. After two years with Norwich, Reagan became player manager at March Town United in the Eastern Counties Football League.[3]

Coaching career

After managing March, Reagan became manager at Goole Town.[4] He later became head coach of the England women's national football team from 1979 until 1990, and was in charge for 96 matches during his 11-year tenure.[5][6] Reagan took England to the final of the 1984 European Competition for Women's Football, where they lost a two-legged tie to Sweden after a penalty shoot out at Kenilworth Road in Luton.[7] Despite also winning the Mundialito (known as the little World Cup) twice in 1985 and 1988, the Women's Football Association (WFA) sacked Reagan in 1990 when a 6–1 UEFA Women's Euro 1991 quarter final aggregate defeat by Germany cost England a place at the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup.[8]

At the 1985 Mundialito Reagan had noticed the potential of the United States women's national soccer team, when England beat them 3–1 in their third ever match. He wrote a prescient letter to his American counterpart Mike Ryan which said "The day cannot be very distant when you will be a world force."[9] From 1989–2003 Reagan was director of coaching at the Two Rivers Soccer Camp in California, USA.[6]

Personal life

As well as his football career Reagan worked as a self–employed sales agent.[10] Prior to his death in December 2016,[1] Reagan was the oldest surviving Middlesbrough FC player and lived in a Kirk Hammerton care home.[2][11] Before his football career, Reagan served as a Staff Sgt Tank Commander in 204 Armoured Assault Squadron, Royal Engineers, during World War II. On 20 October 1994, the 50th anniversary of an explosion which killed many of his tank squadron, Reagan visited Ijzendijke in the Netherlands with his three sons and began a campaign to fund and build a memorial to those who had died. The memorial, at the entry to Isabellaweg Farm, is the site of an annual commemoration of the British and Canadian soldiers who died there.[12][13][14][15]

References
  1. Appleyard, Ian (7 January 2017). "Hope Powell leads tributes to D-Day veteran and former England women's football coach Martin Reagan". The Press (York). Newsquest. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  2. "Senior Servant Stan's The Man". Middlesbrough F.C. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  3. "Toast season 2 # 38 Musical links". Vital Pompey. 10 May 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  4. Hope Powell leads tributes to D-Day veteran and former England women's football coach Martin Reagan York Press, 7 January 2017
  5. McNeal, Ian (7 January 2017). "Tributes paid to one of Middlesbrough's oldest surviving players and war veteran". IAN MCNEAL. GazetteLive. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  6. "Camp Directors". Two Rivers Soccer. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  7. Lopez 1997, p. 102
  8. Lopez 1997, p. 103
  9. "U.S. WNT First Games". USSoccer.com. 27 January 2005. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  10. "Reagan, Martin". Where are they now?. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  11. "Boro's Surprise For Oldest Star". Middlesbrough F.C. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  12. "IJzendijke, The Netherlands". Royal Canadian Legion. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  13. "Sad Memories: Holland 1944". BBC. 7 March 2003. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  14. "Martin Reagan: Women's Football Boss Was D-Day Hero". Women's Football Archive. 7 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  15. "Location of Ijzendijke memorial". Google. Retrieved 9 January 2017.

Bibliography
  • Lopez, Sue (1997). Women on the Ball: A Guide to Women's Football. London, England: Scarlet Press. ISBN 1857270169.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Martin Reagan at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.