| Fullname | James Norman Corner |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 16 February 1943 |
| Birth place | Horden, England |
| Death date | 19 February 2011 (aged 68) |
| Death place | Horden, England |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Position | Centre half / Forward |
| Youthyears 1 | 1960–1961 |
| Youthclubs 1 | Horden Colliery Welfare |
| Youthyears 2 | 1961–1962 |
| Youthclubs 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Years 1 | 1962 |
| Clubs 1 | Horden Colliery Welfare |
| Years 2 | 1962–1967 |
| Clubs 2 | Hull City |
| Caps 2 | 5 |
| Goals 2 | 4 |
| Years 3 | 1967–1969 |
| Clubs 3 | Lincoln City |
| Caps 3 | 45 |
| Goals 3 | 12 |
| Years 4 | 1969–1972 |
| Clubs 4 | Bradford City |
| Caps 4 | 110 |
| Goals 4 | 16 |
| Years 5 | 1972–1973 |
| Clubs 5 | Bradford (Park Avenue) |
| Years 6 | 1973–1974 |
| Clubs 6 | South Shields |
| Clubs 7 | Wingate |
| Clubs 8 | Horden Colliery Welfare |
| Totalcaps | 160 |
| Totalgoals | 32 |
| Managerclubs 1 | Wingate |
James Norman Corner, known as Norman Corner, (16 February 1943 – 19 February 2011) was an English professional footballer who could play as either a centre half or a forward. Active in the Football League between 1964 and 1971, Corner made 160 appearances, scoring 32 goals.[1]
Early life
Corner was born in the mining village of Horden,[2] in County Durham, England, on 16 February 1943.[3] He attended Horden Roman Catholic School where he played centre half and wing half for the football team, and was selected for East Durham Boys.[3]
Career
Corner played youth football with Horden Colliery Welfare before he signed amateur forms at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1961.[2][3] He spent 18 months with Wolves but was restricted to appearances in the Northern Intermediate League teams and returned to Horden Colliery Welfare.[2][3] In August 1962, he again attracted a league club and he signed for Hull City on professional forms.[2] Corner's debut for Hull came against Brentford in April 1964 when he scored twice in a 3–1 win at Griffin Park.[3] However, he played only five first team games, scoring four goals, in five years, during which time Hull turned down an approach from Brian Clough at Hartlepools United,[4] before Lincoln City signed Corner for a fee just short of £4,000.[2]
He made his Lincoln debut on 7 October 1967 against Newport County to help his new side win 2–1.[3] In April 1968, he scored a hat-trick against Bradford (Park Avenue)[2] with all three goals coming from corners.[3] His final game with Lincoln came on 18 January 1969 in a 2–2 draw with Brentford.[3]
The same month, Bradford City paid a fee also close to £4,000 for Corner.[2] At 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), he was the tallest player to have played for the club at the time.[2] He made his debut in a Bradford derby against Park Avenue on 25 January 1969,[2][5] and scored his first goal in the following game which finished in a 5–1 victory against Grimsby Town.[6] He helped City to 21 games undefeated to earn them promotion in his first season at the club during which period he scored eight goals.[2][6] In his second season, he tallied another five goals and also scored in a League Cup match against Sunderland.[6] In his third season, he moved into defence, but still scored in all four of the club's FA Cup games.[6] However, along with Bruce Bannister he was unable to agree personal terms with the club.[2] He appealed to an independent tribunal which proved to be unsuccessful but left the club on a free transfer to join Park Avenue in March 1972.[2] His last game for City was in December 1971, against Aston Villa.[6]
Corner had passed his coaching exams while with City, and started coaching at Park Avenue.[3]
In July 1973, he moved to South Shields.[2] He played one season with South Shields, before he took over as player-manager at Wingate in the Wearside League.[3] They came runners-up in the league and won a number of cup competitions under his guidance.[3]
He returned to Horden Colliery and scored their first goal in the Northern League following promotion from the Wearside League.[3] He remained at the club on the committee.[3]
He went onto begin his own business and coached in schools.[2]
Later life and death
After returning to the North-East, Corner lived in Horden, where he served on the committee at his former club Colliery Welfare, and later Peterlee.[4] He was married to Jean, with whom he had two children Susan and Steven.[4] Corner died in his native Horden on 19 February 2011,[7] three days after his 68th birthday.[6] His funeral was held at Horden Catholic Church,[4] next to the Colliery Welfare's home ground.
References
- ^ "Profile". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ Frost 1988, p. 94
- ^ "Norman Corner: 1943–2011". Lincoln City F.C. 21 February 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ Cook, Paul (22 February 2011). "Footballer Norman Corner dies three days after 68th birthday". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ "BANTAMS NOSTALGIA: Remembering days of the Bradford derby". Bradford Telegraph and Argus
- ^ "Norman Corner 1943–2011". Bradford City A.F.C. 21 February 2011. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^
- Bibliography
- Frost, Terry (1988), Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988, Breedon Books Sport, ISBN 0-907969-38-0