# Albert Leake

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{{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](/source/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](/source/Norton_le_Moors), Staffordshire, England
| height         = 
| position       = [Half-back](/source/Midfielder)
| youthyears1    = | youthclubs1 = Moorland Road Youth Club
| youthyears2    = | youthclubs2 = [RAF](/source/Royal_Air_Force)
| youthyears3    = | youthclubs3 = [Stoke City](/source/Stoke_City_F.C.)
| years1         = 1950–1961| clubs1 = [Port Vale](/source/Port_Vale_F.C.)                | caps1 = 269| goals1 = 34
| years2         = 1961–1967| clubs2 = [Macclesfield Town](/source/Macclesfield_Town_F.C.)| caps2 = 208| goals2 =  9
| totalcaps      = 477|totalgoals = 43
| nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = [England Youth](/source/England_national_under-16_football_team) | nationalcaps1 = 6 | nationalgoals1 = 0
| manageryears1  = 1963–1967| managerclubs1 = [Macclesfield Town](/source/Macclesfield_Town_F.C.)
}}

'''Albert George Leake''' (17 April 1930 – 24 July 1999) was an English [footballer](/source/Association_football) who played as a [half-back](/source/Midfielder).

He spent the entire 1950s with [Port Vale](/source/Port_Vale_F.C.), as the club enjoyed an exciting period of [their history](/source/History_of_Port_Vale_F.C.). He helped the "Valiants" to the [Third Division North](/source/Football_League_Third_Division_North) title in 1953–54 and [Fourth Division](/source/Football_League_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](/source/non-League_football) [Macclesfield Town](/source/Macclesfield_Town_F.C.), a club he served as [manager](/source/Manager_(association_football)) from 1963 to 1967. He guided the club to a [Cheshire County League](/source/Cheshire_County_League) and [Cheshire Senior Cup](/source/Cheshire_Senior_Cup) double in 1963–64.

He also played [cricket](/source/cricket) for [Staffordshire](/source/Staffordshire_County_Cricket_Club) in the [Minor Counties Cricket Championship](/source/Minor_Counties_Cricket_Championship) between 1955 and 1960. He was a right-handed [batsman](/source/Batting_(cricket)) who fielded as a [wicket-keeper](/source/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](/source/Stoke_City_F.C.) and the [RAF](/source/Royal_Air_Force) before joining [Port Vale](/source/Port_Vale_F.C.) 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](/source/Bristol_City_F.C.) at [Ashton Gate](/source/Ashton_Gate_(stadium)).<ref name="kent"/> Signed and given his debut by [Gordon Hodgson](/source/Gordon_Hodgson), the [manager](/source/Manager_(association_football))'s early death meant that Leake had to win a regular first-team place under new boss [Freddie Steele](/source/Freddie_Steele_(footballer)).<ref name="kent"/> He played eight [Third Division South](/source/Football_League_Third_Division_South) games in [1951–52](/source/1951%E2%80%9352_Port_Vale_F.C._season), scoring his first senior goal on 1 September, in a 1–1 draw with [Watford](/source/Watford_F.C.) at [Vale Park](/source/Vale_Park).<ref name="kent"/>

He became a first-team regular from December 1952, and scored four goals in 26 games in [1952–53](/source/1952%E2%80%9353_Port_Vale_F.C._season), as the "Valiants" finished as runners-up of the [Third Division North](/source/Football_League_Third_Division_North).<ref name="kent"/> He hit 20 goals in 48 appearances in [1953–54](/source/1953%E2%80%9354_Port_Vale_F.C._season), as Vale won the Third Division North title and reached the semi-finals of the [FA Cup](/source/FA_Cup).<ref name="kent"/> He was the scorer of the FA Cup semi-final goal against [West Bromwich Albion](/source/West_Bromwich_Albion_F.C.) in Vale's 2–1 defeat and also had an [equaliser](/source/Equaliser_(sports)) disallowed for [offside](/source/Offside_(association_football)).<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](/source/Queens_Park_Rangers_F.C.), [Cardiff City](/source/Cardiff_City_F.C.), [Blackpool](/source/Blackpool_F.C.), and [Leyton Orient](/source/Leyton_Orient_F.C.).<ref name="kent"/>

Leake scored six goals in 30 games in [1954–55](/source/1954%E2%80%9355_Port_Vale_F.C._season), as Vale retained their [Second Division](/source/Football_League_Second_Division) status.<ref name="kent"/> He hit four goals in 38 games in [1955–56](/source/1955%E2%80%9356_Port_Vale_F.C._season), before losing his first-team place to [Harry Poole](/source/Harry_Poole).<ref name="kent"/> He hit four goals in 22 appearances in [1956–57](/source/1956%E2%80%9357_Port_Vale_F.C._season), as Vale suffered [relegation](/source/promotion_and_relegation) despite the best efforts of new boss [Norman Low](/source/Norman_Low).<ref name="kent"/> He featured 34 times in [1957–58](/source/1957%E2%80%9358_Port_Vale_F.C._season), and was an ever-present in the [1958–59](/source/1958%E2%80%9359_Port_Vale_F.C._season) season as the club won the [Fourth Division](/source/Football_League_Fourth_Division) title.<ref name="kent"/> He scored three goals in 39 games in [1959–60](/source/1959%E2%80%9360_Port_Vale_F.C._season); however, he lost his first-team place in April 1960.<ref name="kent"/> He did not play a [Third Division](/source/Football_League_Third_Division) game in [1960–61](/source/1960%E2%80%9361_Port_Vale_F.C._season), and was instead [transferr](/source/Transfer_(association_football))ed to [Macclesfield Town](/source/Macclesfield_Town_F.C.) 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](/source/Cheshire_County_League) and [Cheshire Senior Cup](/source/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](/source/Hanley)|isbn=978-0-9926579-1-8|pages=22}}</ref> He died at [Norton le Moors](/source/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](/source/FA_Cup)
!colspan="2"|Other
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="11"|[Port Vale](/source/Port_Vale_F.C.)
|[1950–51](/source/1950%E2%80%9351_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|[Third Division South](/source/Football_League_Third_Division_South)
|1||0||0||0||0||0||1||0
|-
|[1951–52](/source/1951%E2%80%9352_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|Third Division South
|8||2||0||0||0||0||8||2
|-
|[1952–53](/source/1952%E2%80%9353_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|[Third Division North](/source/Football_League_Third_Division_North)
|24||4||1||0||0||0||25||8
|-
|[1953–54](/source/1953%E2%80%9354_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|Third Division North
|40||13||8||7||0||0||48||10
|-
|[1954–55](/source/1954%E2%80%9355_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|[Second Division](/source/Football_League_Second_Division)
|27||5||3||1||0||0||30||6
|-
|[1955–56](/source/1955%E2%80%9356_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|Second Division
|36||4||2||0||0||0||38||4
|-
|[1956–57](/source/1956%E2%80%9357_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|Second Division
|22||4||0||0||0||0||22||4
|-
|[1957–58](/source/1957%E2%80%9358_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|Third Division South
|32||0||2||0||0||0||34||0
|-
|[1958–59](/source/1958%E2%80%9359_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|[Fourth Division](/source/Football_League_Fourth_Division)
|46||0||1||0||0||0||47||0
|-
|[1959–60](/source/1959%E2%80%9360_Port_Vale_F.C._season)
|[Third Division](/source/Football_League_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](/source/Macclesfield_Town_F.C.)
|[1960–61](/source/1960%E2%80%9361_in_English_football)<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](/source/Cheshire_County_League)
|20||2||0||0||1||0||21||2
|-
|[1961–62](/source/1961%E2%80%9362_in_English_football)<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](/source/1962%E2%80%9363_in_English_football)<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](/source/1963%E2%80%9364_in_English_football)<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](/source/1964%E2%80%9365_in_English_football)<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](/source/1965%E2%80%9366_in_English_football)<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](/source/1966%E2%80%9367_in_English_football)<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](/source/Football_League_Third_Division_North): [1953–54](/source/1953%E2%80%9354_Port_Vale_F.C._season)<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](/source/Football_League_Fourth_Division): [1958–59](/source/1958%E2%80%9359_Port_Vale_F.C._season)<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](/source/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](/source/Cheshire_Senior_Cup): 1964<ref name="cclo"/>
*[Cheshire County League](/source/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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Albert Leake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Leake) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Leake?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.