| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Henry Layton | ||
| Date of birth | (1951-06-29)29 June 1951 (age 74) | ||
| Place of birth | Hereford, England | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Hereford United | |||
| Westfields | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1973 | Gloucester City | 38 | (0) |
| 1973–1974 | Kidderminster Harriers | ||
| 1974–1980 | Hereford United | 200 | (13) |
| 1980–1983 | Gloucester City | 65 | (1) |
| 1983 | Trowbridge Town | ||
| 1984 | Newport County | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1985–1988 | Gloucester City | ||
| 1988–1994 | Hereford United (youth coach) | ||
| 1994 | Hereford United (assistant) | ||
| 1994–1995 | Hereford United | ||
| 1999–2002 | Pakistan Youth | ||
| 2001–2002 | Pakistan | ||
| 2002–2003 | Hurriyya SC | ||
| 2004–2004 | Lower Hutt City AFC | ||
| 2008–2009 | Westfields | ||
| 2010–2012 | Hereford United (youth coach) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Henry Layton (born 29 June 1951) is an English formerfootball player andcoach who spent much of his career atHereford United, both as a player and a manager. He played as acentre back.[1] He made over 200 league appearances for Hereford United and helped them to theThird Division championship 1975-76.[2][3]
Layton was born inHereford on 29 June 1951. His dad, Johnny Layton, was a notable figure atHereford United, being the club's record appearance holder during the 1950s and 1960s with 549 appearances.[4] His father played as a part time professional, with his main occupation being in the timber trade.[4]
He used to attend his father games until his retirement, when he became manager of the reserve side.[1]
Layton played occasionally in the youth of Hereford United andWestfields, until joiningGloucester City in 1970.[1] He moved toKidderminster Harriers in 1973.[3]
Layton returned to Hereford and made his debut with the first team on 27 August 1974 at theGay Meadow stadium againstShrewsbury in theLeague Cup, as a replacement for the injuredBilly Tucker, winning the match by 1-0. He then joined the first team squad as a part time player, while maintaining his job as a builder.[1]
He was present at the golden era of Hereford United from the late 1960s to 1976, where Hereford United had risen from the lower divisions to theDivision Two, playing against the likes ofGeorge Best andBobby Moore atFulham andLaurie Cunningham atLeyton Orient.[1]
Layton left Hereford United at August 1980 and joinedGloucester City again and had stints atTrowbridge andNewport County.[3]
After his retirement, Layton joinedGloucester City as a youth team coach, and returned to Hereford United in 1988 as the head of youth football whenIan Bowyer was in charge. In the summer of 1994, Layton became assistant manager underGreg Downs. When Downs was dismissed, Layton took the caretaker charge during the1994−95 Football League Third Division season.[5] He was appointed as permanent manager till the end of the season withDick Bate as his assistant untilGraham Turner took his role.
Between 1999 and 2002, Layton managed inPakistan, including a stint as coach of thePakistan national team.[6] He spent his spell in Pakistan identifying and developing young players includingMuhammad Essa andJaffar Khan early in their age. Under Layton,Pakistan Under-19 andUnder-17 qualified for Asian championship main rounds for the first time in the history.[7][8][9] Under his guidance the senior team secured the first-ever point and scored first goal at the World Cup qualifiers since their first participation in 1989 that helped Pakistan rise from 195th to 182nd in the FIFA ranking.[7] He left after the Pakistan Football Federation decided against renewing his three-year contract following the suspension ofAFC aid in early 2002.[7]
After leaving Pakistan, he had a stint withHurriyya SC in theMaldives League before going to United States to help a friend at a coaching academy.
He joinedLower Hutt City AFC in New Zealand before returning to the U.K., where he worked with the English F.A and presented their F.A Level 1 and Level 2 courses.
He returned to Hereford United in 2011 as head of youth development, but left whenMartin Foyle came in a year later. Layton was involved in the early development ofJarrod Bowen.[1]