The Save Our Town March The Month for Mick walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats is well underway (You Can Donate Here) We are going via all the clubs Mick played for in his career, with the generous support of their archivists.
If you have a pound or two spare please consider sponsoring us via the button on our website www.saveourtownluton.co.uk.
Day 19: Saturday 19th March 2022 – Hello Geordie Land!
Day 18: Friday 18th March 2022 – Today Is A Very Special Day
Day 15: Tuesday 15th March 2022 – Welcome Save Our Towners to Lincoln City FC
After today we will have covered 1,000,000 steps as a team!
Next stop – Derby County
Mick Harford goal 15/5/82 Coventry City 0 Birmingham City 1
Day 12 Part 1: Saturday 12th March 2022 – Midway at the Midlands!
Today we are at Coventry City.
Apps 1 Goal 1
Bobby Gould bought Mick Harford to the Sky Blues from Sunderland for £200k on 12th July 1993
Mick Harford has a special place in the Coventry City FC record books having appeared only once for the Sky Blue first team in the Premier League, and that for only a partial game as a 74th minute sub. Nevertheless, the six foot four striker did manage to score the Sky Blues winner eleven minutes later in a 2-1 home win with Newcastle United on 18th August 1993!
A back injury was the main reason why Mick did not feature again for the club. Mick’s tiny but effective contribution towards the end of his professional career must be placed in context with his long and well travelled 21 year playing total with many clubs (costing plenty in transfer fees) over the years! Mick’s career total saw him score 186 league goals in 582 league appearances an impressive strike rate over such a period. In total, his transfer fees over his playing career amounted to over £2.25 million.
Whilst at Coventry City he was issued with the number 9 shirt with the introduction of squad numbers in the FA Premier League for the 1993-94 season.
In August 1994, Harford made his last transfer as a player, joining Joe Kinnear’s Wimbledon side for £50,000.
Credit: Coventry City former players association
Day 10: Thursday 10th March 2022 – COYH, We Arrive At The Ol’ Kenny!
There really is ONLY ONE Micky Harford.
When news broke that Hatters legend (a real one) was battling Prostate Cancer many people’s reactions were probably disbelief, ‘that can’t be right’ – ‘Mick not well?’ The greatest living Hatter, perhaps the best of all time, was sick? But it was true!
In his own inimitable way, Mick has faced it full on, taken time out to get treated and keep the condition under control. His first instinct? To publicise his disease and encourage every male over 50 to get tested.
Save Our Town is run by six volunteers, we decided to support Mick through Prostate Cancer UK’s March The Month for Mick. We’re doing at least 11,000 steps a day throughout March, walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats via every club Mick played for. That’s two million steps and 1,000 miles!
Today we visit Kenilworth Road, Mick’s spiritual home.
Times are difficult right now, we understand that, but every penny counts towards combatting this disease so please consider donating, whatever you can spare.
You can donate via the button on our website www.saveourtownluton.co.uk
Thank you.
Big Mick Bio
Born in Sunderland in 1959, Mick was turned down by his boyhood favourites and went to work as an apprentice plumber while playing for a local Boys Club. Four of the team were then signed by Lincoln City for a total £25 and it was not long before Mick was making his League debut for the Imps in 1977.
Three years of steady progress at Sincil Bank led to a big money move to Newcastle which did not work out (although he did score the only goal for the Magpies in a victory at Kenilworth Road in January 1981) followed by a move to Bristol City and then on to Birmingham in March 1982.
At St Andrews, Mick joined a team that was full of wayward personalities who came together in an explosive mix – older supporters can remember Tony Coton, Noel Blake, Pat van den Hauwe, Robert Hopkins and Howard Gayle in a team that battled for each other under Ron Saunders, himself a tough, old school centre-forward in his playing days.
Mick’s goals kept the Blues in the top flight in 1981 -82 and the following season but it was bridge too far in 1983-84 and as he settled for Division Two football a lifeline was thrown by Luton manager David Pleat in December 1984 who had to break the bank to bring him to Kenilworth Road for a monster (by Luton standards) £250,000.
Mick’s time with Luton over the next five years is written into folklore. The Hatters’ side of the time was undoubtedly the best in its history with Mick and Brian Stein gelling superbly up front, assisted by the likes of Ricky Hill and David Preece in midfield, while in defence Mal Donaghy and skipper Steve Foster formed a brilliant partnership. Mick was not just an old-fashioned target man as he had silky skills on the floor, could bring others into play, could shoot accurately with either foot and of course was deadly in the air. He was playing at a time where you needed to stand up to the black arts practiced by so many of the defenders of the day but Mick battled with them all, not willing to give an inch.
Now at the height of his powers and playing the best football of his career, it is a travesty that he was awarded only two caps for England. It may well have been that Luton were regarded as an ‘unfashionable’ club but when you consider that Kerry Dixon and Mark Hateley were chosen ahead of him there would be no contest in the eyes of Luton supporters and no doubt those of Birmingham City.
After helping the club to finish a respectable 13th in 1984-85 and finishing top scorer after playing only half a season, he top scored again in 1985-86 as the team finished 9th. Injured for a large part of 1986-87 as the Town finished 7th he was back with a bang in the following campaign which finished in Wembley glory when the Littlewoods Cup was lifted.
The following season ended in disappointment with a Wembley defeat to Nottingham Forest, despite Mick giving the Town a first-half lead, and with money problems starting to surface the £480,000 offered by Derby in January 1990 could not be turned down.
Derby County (Opens in Facebook)
At the Baseball Ground , Mick was still a Lutonian at heart as proved by the own goal he scored at Kenilworth Road in the final game of 1990-91 which kept the Town up. Whether he meant to score or not is open to debate, not helped by the mischievous Mick who frequently changes his story!
Mick’s stay at Derby was relatively short as David Pleat, now back at Kenilworth Road, was anxious to re-unite with the iconic forward and paid £325000 for his services in September 1991. In true ‘Roy of the Rovers’ fashion Mick scored two late goals, one of which was a glorious overhead kick, to see off Oldham in his second coming.
2 goal hero Mick Harford returns to Luton – Luton Town 2-1 Oldham Athletic 14th September 1991
Sadly, even Mick’s presence could not prevent the Town from being relegated at the end of 1991-92 and at the start of the following season a cheque for £300000 took him to Chelsea. From there Mick had spells at Sunderland and Coventry before winding down his playing career at Wimbledon.
Mick was now about to enter his second career. He coached at Wimbledon and Swindon, was assistant manager at Colchester, Milton Keynes and Millwall, caretaker manager at Nottingham Forest and QPR and manager of Rotherham.
It is at Luton though that Mick has enjoyed his greatest triumphs. Gloriously lifting the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in 2009 against all odds, at the end of a season where a draconian 30 points were deducted and assuming the role of caretaker when the League One title was lifted in 2019.
From player, coach, assistant manager, manager, chief recruitment officer and Head of Recruitment at Kenilworth Road, or perm any combination at any given time, Mick is a true legend.
Credit Roger Wash
Day 9: Wednesday 9th March 2022 – Hello Stamford Bridge!
It’s only a matter of 4.5 miles from our last stop at Plough Lane Wimbledon to Mick Harford’s next ex club Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge.
The route of our 1,000 mile March The Month sponsored walk,, takes us from Land’s end to John O’Groats taking in every league Club our inspiration, Mick Harford, played for in his long career. We’re raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. supporting their research into treatments for this killer disease.
PLEASE DONATE, IF YOU CAN, via the button on our home page -THANK YOU ………. www.saveourtownluton.co.uk
AND GUYS – PLEASE GET TESTED through your GP if you’re over 50.
Chelsea FC 1992 – 1993
28 apps 9 goals
Sunderland-born Mick Harford had already achieved veteran status by the time he joined Ian Porterfield’s Chelsea in August 1992. With big-money signing Robert Fleck attracting all the column inches, Harford’s £300,000 transfer from Luton Town barely raised a ripple of interest from the media, but it was the experienced centre-forward who took centre stage when the two men made their Chelsea debuts alongside each other in an opening day 1-1 draw with Oldham Athletic, Harford scoring with a magnificent long-range shot that was frustratingly equalised in the final minute.
Undeterred, the fearsome front man – something of a throwback to the days of brave, bullying strikers who liked nothing more than mixing it with the opposing defenders – embarked on a scoring run that came as a pleasant surprise to the Stamford Bridge supporters.
Indeed, it was Harford’s goals that rocketed the Blues onto the fringes of the title race as the winter began, with crucial strikes in single goal league victories over QPR, Manchester City, Ipswich Town and Coventry City, supplemented by a late, headed winner in a league winner in a League Cup clash with Kevin Keegan’s buoyant, promotion-bound, Newcastle United.
Having played for several clubs prior to joining Chelsea at the age of 33, Harford had acquired a reputation as a striker of some note, and had even collected two England caps. He had also acquired the nickname “The Head Waiter” along the way, in deference to his magnificent aerial ability, but this was somewhat unfair on a player who had a deft touch and the ability to strike the ball well with both feet.
However, after serving a three-match suspension in December, Harford returned to the team looking a mere shadow of the player who had begun the season in such thrilling form. Having found the net ten times in all competitions by the end of 1992, he struck just once more for the Blues.
Mick Harford moved to his home-town club Sunderland for £250,000 shortly before transfer deadline day.
Credit Kelvin Barker
Debut at Chelsea
Day 8: Tuesday 8th March 2022 – Arriving at Plough Lane
Today we reached the Wimbledon FC Monument in Plough Lane SW19 8EA. This marks the site of the original home ground of Wimbledon FC, 302 miles from our start point of Land’s End and 116 miles from our previous waypoint at Bristol City. So far we’ve walked well over 600,000 steps! Our route to John O’Groats takes in every league Club our inspiration, Mick Harford, played for. We’re raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. PLEASE DONATE, IF YOU CAN, via the button on our website www.saveourtownluton.co.uk THANK YOU ………. AND GUYS – PLEASE GET TESTED through your GP if you’re over 50.
Mick joined Joe Kinnear’s Wimbledon side for £50,000 from Coventry City in August 1994. He went on to make 60 appearances for THE Dons, scoring 9 goals. Many of these appearances were made in midfield, and Mick scored his last professional goal at the age of 38 years and 34 days against West Ham United in 1997 – see video link below.
He was known as someone not to mess with. Legend goes that when he joined Wimbledon in 1994 he was spared the usual new signing initiation ritual for the other squad members fear of reprisal – and this included a Crazy Gang squad including shrinking violets such as Vinnie Jones, Robbie Earle Marcus Gayle. He stayed on at Wimbledon after his playing career ended at the grand age of 38 and picked up his coaching badges, and working with Joe Kinnear.
Day 6: Sunday 6th March 2022 – Lands End to Bristol
Our Stats on Day 6 (Sunday 6th March) stand:
- £1,895 Raised
- 411,640 Steps
Welcome SoT Members you have arrived at Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City, 197 miles from Lands End.
Mick Harford joined Bristol City for £180,000 in August 1981 from Newcastle Utd, 7 months later in Match 1982 he moved to Birmingham City for a transfer fee of £100,000.
During his Bristol City career he played 30 matches and scored 11 goals.
“I loved playing for Bristol City, I had a good time there and I remember it fondly. Bobby Houghton was the manager, Roy Hodgson was the assistant and I made some good friends down there. I still look out for their results.”
Mick Harford
Now off to Wimbledon!
Stay tuned Save Our Towners
