| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert James Hatton | ||
| Date of birth | (1947-04-10)10 April 1947 (age 78) | ||
| Place of birth | Hull, England | ||
| Position | Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1962–1963 | Wath Wanderers | ||
| 1963–1964 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1964–1967 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 10 | (7) |
| 1967–1968 | Bolton Wanderers | 24 | (2) |
| 1968–1969 | Northampton Town | 33 | (7) |
| 1969–1971 | Carlisle United | 93 | (37) |
| 1971–1976 | Birmingham City | 175 | (58) |
| 1976–1978 | Blackpool | 75 | (32) |
| 1978–1980 | Luton Town | 82 | (29) |
| 1980–1982 | Sheffield United | 95 | (34) |
| 1982–1983 | Cardiff City | 30 | (9) |
| 1983–1984 | Dundalk | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 617 | (215) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert James Hatton (born 10 April 1947)[1] is an English formerfootballer who played as acentre forward. He played more than 600 matches inthe Football League for a variety of clubs and scored at a rate better than one goal in every three matches.
Wolverhampton Wanderers recognised his potential and invited him across to theMidlands for a trial period. His stay atMolineux was short asBolton Wanderers stepped in with a definite contract offer, and Hatton realised that the chance of security was not one to be missed. From Bolton Wanderers he moved toNorthampton Town, but never really settled in a struggling team. The inevitable drop to Division Four in the 1968–69 season could not be avoided and many of the squad were tempted by better offers, Hatton being one of them.
Carlisle United at the time were a steady, mid-table outfit and managerBob Stokoe was always on the look-out for a sharp deal that could help to take the club onwards and upwards. He offered Northampton Town a reported £8,000 for Hatton early in July (though this figure may well have been higher) and signed Hatton on a two-year deal.
Hatton began his Carlisle United career playing alongsideHugh McIlmoyle, but was soon thrown in at the deep end when the Scot moved toMiddlesbrough. His first two goals came againstHull City in a 2–1 win on 6 September 1969, and he went on to make 50 appearances, scoring 14 goals along the way. He finished as the club's top scorer.
In 1970–71 he made 46 appearances and scored 24 goals.
Hatton signed a new contract in the summer of 1970. What no-one had realised, though, was that it had a release clause included. After just 15 games of the 1971–72 season,Birmingham City made a successful bid of £80,000, a Carlisle club-record fee. He scored 9 more goals for Carlisle before his move, and notched a goal in the 2–0 away win in his final game for the club, atLuton Town on 23 October 1971.
Hatton played a major part in Birmingham City's promotion to the top flight in the 1971–72 season partneringTrevor Francis andBob Latchford.Hatton scored the only goal in the 1975 FA Cup Quarter Final win over Middlesbrough in front of over 53,000 fans and played inDivision One till 1976.
He joinedBlackpool in 1976 for £60,000, and scored twice on his 21 August debut in a 4–1 victory overBristol Rovers.[2] While at Blackpool he was partnered up front withMickey Walsh.
This was then followed by a move toLuton Town in the summer of 1978, where he spent two years, then a further two years withSheffield United. Hatton's successful striking partnership withKeith Edwards was one of the main reasons why Sheffield United achieved promotion back up from theFourth Division at the first attempt in 1981–82. Hatton had a one-year spell atCardiff City, signed byLen Ashurst, before signing forJohn Dempsey atDundalk in January 1984 for their upcomingFAI Cup campaign.[3] However, despite making his debut in the Cup game on 5 February Dundalk were knocked out and so Hatton's career was at an end.
He has worked closely with theProfessional Footballers' Association ever since, and has settled in the Midlands with occasional football guest appearances onBBC Radio WM in the 1990s.
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