John William Aldridge (born 18 September 1958
Liverpool,
England) is a former
Republic of Ireland international
footballer and football manager. He was a prolific record-breaking striker best known for his productive time with
Liverpool in the late 1980s, and for being the first man to have a
penalty kick saved in a
Wembley FA Cup Final.
Although a significant period of his career was spent in the English
non-league and in Spain, his tally of 330 league goals still make him the 6th top goalscorer in the history of English league football.
Club career
South Liverpool and Newport County
Aldridge took a long time to reach the top of the game. He began his career in the mid-1970s at non-league
South Liverpool, before getting his break in the professional game when, aged 20, he signed for
Newport County on 2 May 1979 for
£3,500.
When at
Somerton Park, "Aldo", as he came to be known, played 198 times scoring 87 goals, a goal every 2¼ games, including a respectable 7 goals in just 12
FA Cup matches. He partnered
Tommy Tynan and
Dave Gwyther for four years at
Somerton Park, helping Newport to promotion from the Fourth Division and into the
European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.
His first season with County,
1979–80, had been highly promising with 14 goals from 38 games as his side won the
Welsh Cup and gained promotion to the Third Division. A year later he featured in the side that achieved the famous...
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