Peacock: Alan

1964-1967 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Middlesbrough: 29-10-1937

Debut: v Norwich City (a): 08-02-1964

6’1” 11 st 9lb (1963)

#72 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

A product of Lawson Secondary School, he joined Middlesbrough as a youngster, won England Youth honours and turned professional in November 1954, however it took him over four years to establish himself in the starting line up. He formed a prolific spearhead with Brian Clough, scoring one hundred and twenty-six goals in two hundred and eighteen League appearances and another sixteen goals in twenty Cup fixtures. Clough was to score two hundred and four goals in two hundred and twenty-two games, while at Ayresome Park. Both were to play for England while still with Second Division Boro, an unprecedented badge of honour for the club and, but for a ‘notoriously’ leaky defence, their firepower would have won promotion. Peacock came to prominence midway through the 1957-58 season when he established himself as an ideal strike partner for Boro goal machine Brian Clough. Peacock's unselfish attitude led to Clough claiming the majority of goals but not in one memorable game in November 1958 when both front men scored hat-tricks in a 6-1 win over Scunthorpe. Peacock was eased into the Boro team with two goals in six games in 1955-56 and one goal in four games in the following season as Clough topped the scorers with thirty-eight League goals. After sporadic early appearances, Peacock dislodged Arthur Fitzsimmons and the Clough/Peacock record over the next few seasons was nothing short of phonominal. In 1957-58 Clough bagged thirty eight in the league while Peacock got fifteen in twenty-two games. Middlesbrough scored eighty-three goals that season. In 1958-59 Clough netted forty-three and Peacock nineteen in thirty-four games as Boro totalled eighty-seven in the League. 1959-60 saw thirty-nine goals from the boot of Clough, while Peacock contributed thirteen goals in thirty-five games in Boro’s total of ninety for the season. The final year of the Clough/Peacock partnership, 1960-61, saw thirty-four from Clough and fifteen in thirty-four games from Peacock as Boro totalled ninety in the League. Peacock was acknowledged as one of the best headers of a ball in English Football in the post-war era. He was outstanding for the club during the 1961-62 campaign, as he scored a prolific twenty-four goals in only thirty-four League matches, following Clough's transfer to Sunderland. He also notched a further eight in Cup matches. His exceptional form earned him a call up to play for England in the 1962 World Cup finals. He was never on a losing side for England. He debuted on 2nd June 1962 in the 3-1 victory over Argentina and five days later he was again in the line-up as England drew 0-0 with Bulgaria. As throughout his career, either injury or bad luck struck and he went down with a stomach bug and he consequently missed the quarter-final defeat as Gerry Hitchens took his place and scored in a 3-1 defeat by Brazil. He was back for the home internationals, against Northern Ireland when England won 3-1 and he then opened his international goal scoring account with two against Wales in a 4-0 victory. His good form continued in 1962-63 when he topped the Boro scoring with thirty-one goals in forty League games as well as two more in the Cup. Peacock grew frustrated with Boro’s repeated failure to win promotion and so took a short cut into the top flight when he moved to Leeds. Injury had sidelined him for part of the 1963-64 season but he had still managed five goals in nine games when Leeds paid out £50,000 for him in February 1964, but as part of the signing agreement there was a further £5,000 paid on United attaining promotion. His eight goals in fourteen games lifted Leeds to Division One in 1964, earning him a Second Division Championship medal. He was a member of the 1965 FA Cup Final team and added two more England appearances while at Leeds to take his total of caps to six, a number that could have been substantially increased, but for a succession of injuries. He was in the team for the 0-0 draw with Wales on 2nd October 1965 and then scored in England’s 2-1 victory over Northern Ireland a month later. He went to Plymouth Argyle in October 1967 for £10,000 but was forced to retire in March 1968 at the early age of thirty, after scoring only once in eleven games. He later ran a newsagents business in Middlesbrough.