Michael Denis Conway (born 11 March 1956) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion and Swansea City.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Denis Conway[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 11 March 1956[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Sheffield, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 19??–1972 | Westdene | ||
| 1972–1973 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1975 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 | (1) |
| 1975–1978 | Swansea City | 61 | (11) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editConway was born in 1956 in Sheffield.[1] He began his football career as an apprentice with Brighton & Hove Albion in 1972, and made his senior debut in the last match of the 1972–73 Second Division season, at home to Nottingham Forest on 28 April 1973.[2] At the age of 17 years, 48 days, he became the club's youngest league debutant – a record he held until 1987 when the 16-year-old Ian Chapman first appeared[2][3] – and scored the equalising goal, albeit via a deflection.[4] His club record as youngest goalscorer was only broken when Jake Robinson, also 16, scored in the Football League Trophy 40 years later.[5] Later in 1973, he represented England Youth.[1][2] Conway turned professional with Brighton in 1974, but played only once more for the team before joining Fourth Division club Swansea City in December 1975 for a £3,000 fee.[2]
Conway soon established himself in the first team and, according to a profile on Swansea City's website, "became a favourite with his pace and sparkling control on the left wing."[6] He was a member of the squad promoted from the Fourth Division in 1977–78, but was unable to enjoy playing at the higher level. He suffered serious injuries in a car crash,[6] attempted a comeback against Barnsley in April 1978, and during the match was rushed to hospital with liver damage, believed to have been a consequence of the accident.[7] That was his last professional appearance;[6] he had scored 12 goals from 63 league appearances.[1] In May 1979, Swansea faced the Brighton team newly promoted to the First Division in Conway's testimonial match.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Micky Conway". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-9521337-1-1.
- ^ Naylor, Andy (26 October 2006). "Chapman in at the deep end". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "Brighton 2, Nottingham F. 2". Sunday People. London. 29 April 1973. p. 23.
- ^ "Robinson strike makes history". BBC Sport. 14 October 2003. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ a b c "Players of the past". Swansea City F.C. 30 August 2016. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "Conway in hospital drama". Daily Mirror. London. 12 April 1978. p. 12.