| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Edward Richard Hetzke | ||
| Date of birth | (1955-06-03)3 June 1955 (age 69) | ||
| Place of birth | Marlborough, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1971–1982 | Reading | 261 | (23) |
| 1976 | →Vancouver Whitecaps (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 1982–1986 | Blackpool | 140 | (18) |
| 1986–1987 | Sunderland | 31 | (0) |
| 1987–1988 | Chester City | 14 | (0) |
| 1988–1989 | Colchester United | 29 | (2) |
| Total | 475 | (43) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen Edward Richard Hetzke (born 3 June 1955 inMarlborough, Wiltshire) is an English former professionalfootballer. He played as adefender.
Hetzke began his career withReading, where he twice won promotion fromDivision Four, in 1976, and in 1979 as champions. Hetzke broke the record for the youngest player to appear in a competitive match for Reading, aged 16 years and 191 days. He also scored the first goal of the 1980/81 season, when a League Cup match at Northampton was brought forward to the Friday and he put Reading ahead after seven minutes.[2]
He later received a testimonial match after leaving forBlackpool in July 1982 for a £12,500 fee, which was settled by atribunal.
He made his debut for Blackpool in the opening league game of the1982–83 campaign, a 2–1 defeat atMansfield Town on 28 August 1982. He went on to make a further 42 league appearances that season, scoring twice.
He appeared in all but one of Blackpool's 46 league games in1983–84, scoring seven goals. Two of these were game-winning penalties in single-goal victories – firstly againstTorquay United atBloomfield Road on 17 December 1983, and then ten days later againstHartlepool United at the same venue.
In1984–85, Hetzke, who by now was the club'scaptain, made 30 league appearances and scored five goals, including both goals in a 2–0 victory at Torquay United on 15 December 1984. Blackpool won promotion toDivision Three at the end of the season.
Hetzke's final season at Blackpool,1985–86, saw him make 23 league appearances and score four goals. His final appearance for the club occurred on 22 February 1986, in a single-goal defeat atCardiff City.
In March 1986 Hetzke joinedSunderland, although after relegation toDivision Three in1986–87 he moved on toChester City. He made his Chester debut in a 5–0 home defeat toNorthampton Town at the start of1987–88 and added just thirteen more league appearances before joiningColchester United in a £10,000 transfer in February 1988.
Hetzke finished his league career at theLayer Road club at the end of the1988–89 season.
Reading
Blackpool