{{Short description|English footballer (1930–1999)}} {{use British English|date=July 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Albert Leake | image = | caption = | fullname = Albert George Leake<ref name="kent"/> | birth_date = {{birth date|1930|04|17|df=y}}<ref name="kent"/> | birth_place = Smallthorne, Staffordshire, England<ref name="kent"/> | death_date = {{death date and age|1999|07|24|1930|04|17|df=y}} | death_place = Norton le Moors, Staffordshire, England | height = | position = Half-back | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Moorland Road Youth Club | youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = RAF | youthyears3 = | youthclubs3 = Stoke City | years1 = 1950–1961| clubs1 = Port Vale | caps1 = 269| goals1 = 34 | years2 = 1961–1967| clubs2 = Macclesfield Town| caps2 = 208| goals2 = 9 | totalcaps = 477|totalgoals = 43 | nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = England Youth | nationalcaps1 = 6 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | manageryears1 = 1963–1967| managerclubs1 = Macclesfield Town }}
'''Albert George Leake''' (17 April 1930 – 24 July 1999) was an English footballer who played as a half-back.
He spent the entire 1950s with Port Vale, as the club enjoyed an exciting period of their history. He helped the "Valiants" to the Third Division North title in 1953–54 and Fourth Division title in 1958–59. After a total of 43 goals in 293 league and cup games, he left the club in 1961 for non-League Macclesfield Town, a club he served as manager from 1963 to 1967. He guided the club to a Cheshire County League and Cheshire Senior Cup double in 1963–64.
He also played cricket for Staffordshire in the Minor Counties Cricket Championship between 1955 and 1960. He was a right-handed batsman who fielded as a wicket-keeper.<ref>{{cite web |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/124/124788/124788.html|title=Player profile: Albert Leake|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=18 June 2011}}</ref>
==Career== Leake played for Stoke City and the RAF before joining Port Vale from Stoke in February 1950.<ref name="kent">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=170|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}}</ref> He represented England Youth, winning six caps.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fielding |first1=Rob |last2=Whitehouse |first2=Lindsay |title=Five of the best (worst): surprisingly poor Port Vale seasons |url=https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2025/06/five-of-the-best-worst-surprisingly-poor-port-vale-seasons/ |access-date=21 June 2025 |work=One Vale Fan}}</ref> He made his professional debut on 24 March 1951, in a 3–1 win over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.<ref name="kent"/> Signed and given his debut by Gordon Hodgson, the manager's early death meant that Leake had to win a regular first-team place under new boss Freddie Steele.<ref name="kent"/> He played eight Third Division South games in 1951–52, scoring his first senior goal on 1 September, in a 1–1 draw with Watford at Vale Park.<ref name="kent"/>
He became a first-team regular from December 1952, and scored four goals in 26 games in 1952–53, as the "Valiants" finished as runners-up of the Third Division North.<ref name="kent"/> He hit 20 goals in 48 appearances in 1953–54, as Vale won the Third Division North title and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.<ref name="kent"/> He was the scorer of the FA Cup semi-final goal against West Bromwich Albion in Vale's 2–1 defeat and also had an equaliser disallowed for offside.<ref name="kent"/> He had previously scored five of Vale's six goals from the third round onwards that were enough to defeat Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City, Blackpool, and Leyton Orient.<ref name="kent"/>
Leake scored six goals in 30 games in 1954–55, as Vale retained their Second Division status.<ref name="kent"/> He hit four goals in 38 games in 1955–56, before losing his first-team place to Harry Poole.<ref name="kent"/> He hit four goals in 22 appearances in 1956–57, as Vale suffered relegation despite the best efforts of new boss Norman Low.<ref name="kent"/> He featured 34 times in 1957–58, and was an ever-present in the 1958–59 season as the club won the Fourth Division title.<ref name="kent"/> He scored three goals in 39 games in 1959–60; however, he lost his first-team place in April 1960.<ref name="kent"/> He did not play a Third Division game in 1960–61, and was instead transferred to Macclesfield Town in January 1961.<ref name="kent"/> Two years later, he was appointed as Macclesfield's new manager, and using firm discipline, he led the club to the Cheshire County League and Cheshire Senior Cup double in 1963–64. They went on to finish second in 1964–65, third in 1965–66, and fifth in 1966–67.<ref>{{cite web|title=Profile|url=http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/player_profiles/Players/l.html|website=silkmenarchives.org.uk|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105032859/http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/player_profiles/Players/l.html|archive-date=5 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Upon losing his position he joined Goldenhill Y. & A. as a player. He worked as a school attendance officer between 1966 and 1995.<ref name="steele">{{cite book|last=Sherwin|first=Phil|title=Men of Steele|year=2013|publisher=Pass|location=Hanley|isbn=978-0-9926579-1-8|pages=22}}</ref> He died at Norton le Moors in Staffordshire on 24 July 1999.
==Career statistics== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>{{ENFA}}</ref> |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="11"|Port Vale |1950–51 |Third Division South |1||0||0||0||0||0||1||0 |- |1951–52 |Third Division South |8||2||0||0||0||0||8||2 |- |1952–53 |Third Division North |24||4||1||0||0||0||25||8 |- |1953–54 |Third Division North |40||13||8||7||0||0||48||10 |- |1954–55 |Second Division |27||5||3||1||0||0||30||6 |- |1955–56 |Second Division |36||4||2||0||0||0||38||4 |- |1956–57 |Second Division |22||4||0||0||0||0||22||4 |- |1957–58 |Third Division South |32||0||2||0||0||0||34||0 |- |1958–59 |Fourth Division |46||0||1||0||0||0||47||0 |- |1959–60 |Third Division |33||2||5||1||0||0||38||3 |- !colspan="2"|Total !269!!34!!22!!9!!0!!0!!291!!43 |- |rowspan="8"|Macclesfield Town |1960–61<ref>{{cite web|title=Stats|url=http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/season_stats/Cheshire_league/1960_61.html|website=silkmenarchives.org.uk|access-date=12 July 2016}}</ref> |Cheshire County League |20||2||0||0||1||0||21||2 |- |1961–62<ref>{{cite web|title=Stats|url=http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/season_stats/Cheshire_league/1961_62.html|website=silkmenarchives.org.uk|access-date=12 July 2016}}</ref> |Cheshire County League |38||1||1||0||7||0||46||1 |- |1962–63<ref>{{cite web|title=Stats |url=http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/season_stats/Cheshire_league/1962_63.html |website=silkmenarchives.org.uk |access-date=12 July 2016 }}</ref> |Cheshire County League |41||1||2||0||5||0||48||1 |- |1963–64<ref>{{cite web|title=Stats |url=http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/season_stats/Cheshire_league/1963_64.html |website=silkmenarchives.org.uk |access-date=12 July 2016 }}</ref> |Cheshire County League |40||2||5||0||11||0||56||2 |- |1964–65<ref>{{cite web|title=Stats |url=http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/season_stats/Cheshire_league/1964_65.html |website=silkmenarchives.org.uk |access-date=12 July 2016 }}</ref> |Cheshire County League |35||1||5||0||4||0||44||1 |- |1965–66<ref>{{cite web|title=Stats |url=http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/season_stats/Cheshire_league/1965_66.html |website=silkmenarchives.org.uk |access-date=12 July 2016 }}</ref> |Cheshire County League |26||0||2||0||5||0||33||0 |- |1966–67<ref>{{cite web|title=Stats |url=http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/season_stats/Cheshire_league/1966_67.html |website=silkmenarchives.org.uk |access-date=12 July 2016 }}</ref> |Cheshire County League |8||2||4||0||2||0||14||2 |- !colspan="2"|Total !208!!9!!19!!0!!35!!0!!262!!9 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !477!!43!!41!!9!!35!!0!!553!!52 |}
==Honours== '''Port Vale''' *Football League Third Division North: 1953–54<ref>{{Citation|last1=Sherwin|first1=Phil|last2=Askey|first2=Steve|title=Men of Steele: The story of Port Vale's stunning 1953/54 season|publisher=Pass Publishing|year=2013|isbn=978-0-9926579-1-8}}</ref> *Football League Fourth Division: 1958–59<ref name="Kent5859">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale|publisher=Witan Books|year=1990|pages=171–196|chapter=Fame and Fortune (1950–1959)|isbn=0-9508981-4-7}}</ref>
'''Macclesfield Town''' *Cheshire County League: 1963–64<ref name="cclo">{{cite web |title=Silkmen Archives – Cheshire League – Overview |url=http://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/stat_info/cl_overview.htm |website=silkmenarchives.org.uk |access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref> *Cheshire Senior Cup: 1964<ref name="cclo"/> *Cheshire County League runner-up: 1964–65<ref name="cclo"/> *Cheshire County Challenge Cup: 1967<ref name="cclo"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Macclesfield Town F.C. managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leake, Albert}} Category:1930 births Category:1999 deaths Category:Footballers from Stoke-on-Trent Category:English men's footballers Category:England men's youth international footballers Category:Men's association football wing halves Category:Stoke City F.C. players Category:Port Vale F.C. players Category:Macclesfield Town F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:English football managers Category:Macclesfield Town F.C. managers Category:English cricketers Category:Staffordshire cricketers Category:Wicket-keepers Category:20th-century English sportsmen