| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frederick John Callaghan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1944-12-19)19 December 1944 | ||
| Place of birth | Fulham, England | ||
| Date of death | 13 September 2022(2022-09-13) (aged 77) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1962–1964 | Fulham | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1964–1974 | Fulham | 295 | (9) |
| Enfield | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| Enfield | |||
| 1978–1980 | Woking | ||
| 1980–1984 | Brentford | ||
| 1992–1993 | Basingstoke Town | ||
| 1994–1995 | Wealdstone | ||
| 1996 | Carshalton Athletic (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Frederick John Callaghan (19 December 1944 – 13 September 2022) was an English professionalfootballer, who made over 290 appearances in theFootball League forFulham as aleft back. After retiring as a player, Callaghan became amanager andcoach, most notably in the Football League withBrentford. He later had a long career managing and coaching innon-League football.
Aleft back, Callaghan joinedFirst Division clubFulham as an apprentice in 1962 and made his first senior appearances during the1963–64 season.[2][3] His debut came in March 1964 during a 2–2 draw away atAston Villa.[4] As a player, he was described as "a tough-tackling defender who was not averse to crunching tackles and the occasional overlap down the flank" and was nicknamed "The Tank".[4][2]
By the1966–67 season, he had broken into the starting lineup on a regular basis, but was part of the team which suffered a double relegation from the First to theThird Division in 1968 and 1969.[3][5] Callaghan made a career-high 52 appearances during the1970–71 season and appeared in 45 out of 46 league fixtures, helping the Cottagers to promotion back to theSecond Division with a second-place finish.[4][3][5] Although not a regular goal scorer, he scored a key goal in the 1971–72 Second Division season, securing a 2–2 draw at Charlton Athletic that saved the club from relegation.[4]
Callaghan made his final appearances for the club during the1972–73 season and was forced to retire in 1974 due to a back injury.[2][3] He made 336 appearances for Fulham across all competitions.[4]
Callaghan had a longmanagerial andcoaching career innon-League football and held roles atEnfield,Woking,Basingstoke Town,Wealdstone,Carshalton Athletic,Walton & Hersham andKingstonian.[2][6][7][8][9][10][11]
In February 1977, Callaghan joinedFourth Division clubBrentford until the end of the1976–77 season, as assistant to managerBill Dodgin Jr.[2] His arrival coincided with the team's sharp upturn in form, which culminated in a run of just two defeats from the final 18 matches of the season,[2] which pulled the club away from there-election places.[12] After Dodgin Jr. was given a "leave of absence" in March 1980, Callaghan returned toGriffin Park ascaretaker manager until the end of the1979–80 season.[2] After some positive early results, he signed a two-year permanent contract in April 1980 and managed the Bees to an 18th-place finish, clear of the Third Division relegation places.[2]
Callaghan would go on to manage Brentford for3+1⁄2 seasons and presided over an overhaul of the squad and coaching structure at Griffin Park.[2] The1980–81 season saw the arrival of player/assistant managerRon Harris, a re-formation of theyouth setup and the arrivals ofTerry Hurlock,David Crown andGary Roberts.[2] Callaghan addedStan Bowles andChris Kamara to themidfield during the1981–82 season and forwardsFrancis Joseph andTony Mahoney in 1982–83, but the team's form went into decline during the1983–84 season and he was sacked in February 1984.[2] Callaghan's three seasons as permanent manager resulted in 9th, 8th and 9th-place finishes respectively in the Third Division.[13]
Frederick John Callaghan was born on 19 December 1944 inParsons Green.[14][15]
After retiring from football, Callaghan became a Londonblack cab driver.[2] As of August 2012, he was working for former club Fulham as a corporate hospitality host.[16] He died on 13 September 2022 at age 77.[4][14]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fulham | 1963–64[3] | First Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1964–65[3] | First Division | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 1965–66[3] | First Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1966–67[3] | First Division | 34 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 4 | |
| 1967–68[3] | First Division | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 44 | 1 | |
| 1968–69[3] | Second Division | 40 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| 1969–70[3] | Third Division | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| 1970–71[3] | Third Division | 45 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 52 | 0 | |
| 1971–72[3] | Second Division | 42 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 3 | |
| 1972–73[3] | Second Division | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| Career total | 295 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 335 | 9 | ||
Fulham
