Sir Geoff Hurst

Hurst in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE
Date of birth	(1941-12-08) 8 December 1941 (age 70)
Place of birth	Ashton-under-Lyne, England
Playing position	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1959–1972	West Ham United	411	(180)
1972–1975	Stoke City	108	(30)
1973	→ Cape Town City (loan)	6	(5)
1975–1976	West Bromwich Albion	10	(2)
1976	Cork Celtic	3	(3)
1976	Seattle Sounders	24	(9)
1976	Kuwait SC
1976–1979	Telford United
Total		562	(224)
National team
1966–1972	England	49	(24)
Teams managed
1976–1979	Telford United
1979–1981	Chelsea
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE (born 8 December 1941 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire) is a retired England footballer best remembered for making his mark in history as the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West Germany at the old Wembley. Such an achievement was made all the more remarkable by the fact that he was only five months and eight games into his international career, and was not considered his country's premier centre forward.

In club football Hurst played for West Ham United where he spent 13 years scoring 180 goals in the First Division. He joined Stoke City in 1972 where he spent three years before finishing his Football League career with West Bromwich Albion. Hurst went to play football in Ireland, USA and Kuwait before returning to England to play for Telford United. Hurst became manager of Telford in 1976 and after three years joined Chelsea but was sacked in August 1981.

Early life[link]

Hurst was born in the Lake Hospital Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, but moved with his family to Chelmsford, Essex, at the age of eight. He attended Kings Road Primary School, where a house is now named after him. The son of a lower-division footballer, Hurst's own footballing career began when he was apprenticed to West Ham United.

Hurst played one first-class cricket match for Essex,^[1] against Lancashire at Aigburth in 1962, although it was not a successful outing: he made 0 not out in the first innings, and was bowled by Colin Hilton, again for 0, in the second.^[2] However, he appeared 23 times in the Essex Second XI between 1962 and 1964, before concentrating entirely on football.^[3]

Playing career[link]

Club career[link]

Hurst was initially a strong-running midfielder but was converted to a centre forward by manager Ron Greenwood. West Ham won the FA Cup in 1964 with Hurst scoring the second equaliser in a tight and exciting 3–2 victory over Preston North End at Wembley. A year later, Hurst was back at Wembley for the final of the European Cup Winners Cup against 1860 Munich, and West Ham won 2–0. The following season he was in the West Ham side which lost the League Cup final on aggregate to West Bromwich Albion, and in February 1966 he was given his debut for England by manager Alf Ramsey.^[4] Hurst remains the most recent British-based player to notch a double hat-trick in a top-flight league match: he achieved this remarkable feat in a First Division match against Sunderland at Upton Park on 19 October 1968, which saw the Hammers defeat the Wearsiders 8-0.^[5]

His final years as a player[link]

In 1972, West Ham reached the semi final of the League Cup when they played Stoke City over two legs. In the home leg for West Ham, they were awarded a penalty which Hurst took. His powerful shot into the top corner was saved by the Stoke goalkeeper and Hurst's international team-mate Gordon Banks, who succeeded in deflecting the ball over the bar. Stoke won the tie and ultimately the competition. Hurst left West Ham to join them later the same year for £80,000.^[6] He had played 502 games for West Ham, during which time he had scored 249 goals in all competitions.^[6] Hurst wound down his career with Stoke City and also West Bromwich Albion. He then signed for the Seattle Sounders of the NASL in 1976. Unlike many players who went over to the NASL from Europe to end their careers, Hurst rapidly proved his worth, and became a valuable member of the Sounders team. He was the team's second-leading scorer, helping the Sounders make it to the playoffs for the first time in their brief history, with 8 goals and 4 assists in 23 regular season games, and 1 goal in the playoffs. More important than Hurst's numbers was his sense of timing: not only did he score the first (in the home opener against Portland) and the last (in the playoffs against Vancouver) goals of the season, 5 of his 8 goals were game-winners. After Seattle, Hurst played in Kuwait and signed for Cork Celtic in January 1976.^[7]

International career[link]

Hurst settled into international football quickly but as the World Cup approached, it seemed clear that his inclusion in Ramsey's squad of 22 would merely be as a different option to the first choice partnership of Jimmy Greaves and Roger Hunt. Greaves and Hunt were indeed picked for the three group games against Uruguay, Mexico and France, but in the latter game, Greaves suffered a deep gash to his leg which required stitches, and Hurst was called up to take his place in the quarter final against Argentina. With captain Bobby Moore and young midfielder Martin Peters already in the side, it completed a trio of West Ham players selected by Ramsey at this most crucial stage of the competition.

Argentina were talented but preferred a violent approach to the game, which saw them reduced to ten men. The game was still tightly contested as it entered its final 15 minutes, but then Peters swung over a curling cross from the left flank and Hurst, anticipating his clubmate's thinking, got in front of his marker to glance a near post header past the Argentine keeper. England won 1–0 and were in the semi finals.

Greaves was not fit for the game against Portugal so Hurst and Hunt continued up front, and England won 2–1 thanks to a brace from Bobby Charlton, the second of which was set up by Hurst. As the final against the Germans approached, the media learnt of Greaves' return to fitness and, while appreciating Hurst's contribution, started to call for the return of England's most prolific centre forward.

Ramsey, however, would not be swayed. Hurst had played well enough to keep his place and, with substitutes still disallowed in competitive football, Greaves' hopes of taking part in the final were dashed. Ramsey informed Greaves and Hurst of his decision the day before the game, and would be conclusively vindicated.

The World Cup Final[link]

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West Germany took the lead through Helmut Haller early on, but six minutes later Moore was fouled just inside the German half of the field. He quickly picked himself up and delivered the free kick to Hurst, totally unmarked in his run, as the Germans regrouped. The goalkeeper seemed frozen as the header thundered past him, levelling the match. In the second half, chances went begging for both sides before England won a corner on the right with a quarter of an hour left on the clock. Alan Ball took it, outswinging the ball to Hurst on the edge of the area. Hurst turned to shoot and the ball deflected high into the air, looping down on to the right boot of Peters, who smashed it home.

The Germans equalised with virtually the last kick of the game, forcing extra time. The subsequent 30 minutes would shape the rest of Hurst's life. In the first period, Ball flicked a pass inside to Hurst in the penalty box who struck a strong shot towards goal with his right foot, falling backwards as he did so. The ball beat the goalkeeper, hit the crossbar and bounced down before Wolfgang Weber, scorer of the Germans' second goal, headed it out for a corner. England's players claimed a goal; the Germans were just as adamant that the ball had not fully crossed the line. The referee Gottfried Dienst, unsure, decided to consult his linesman, Tofik Bakhramov, on the right flank, who had waved his flag to get the official's attention. The Soviet linesman signalled that the ball had crossed the line, and the goal was given. The Germans were furious and protested with the linesman vociferously, but because the linesman spoke only Russian, Turkish and Azeri, that was a pointless exercise. Ever since, football reporters and commentators on England games have called in jest for a "Russian linesman" (although actually Bakhramov was from Azerbaijan) whenever there has been a contentious decision to make, especially when that decision has not gone England's way.

Advances in technology have never conclusively proved that the ball crossed the line; on the contrary, in 1995 the Sunday Times reported that image analysis by researchers at Oxford University had concluded that the whole of the ball did not cross the goal-line, and so a goal should not have been awarded (Computer blows whistle on England's 1966 World Cup win by Adam Jones and John Davison, 23 July 1995). Nevertheless, both Dienst and Bakhramov were insistent at the time and continued to justify their decisions in the decades to come, while Hurst never saw the ball bounce down because his momentum on shooting had taken him backwards on to the Wembley turf. However, he always believed the ball was in the net because of Hunt's reaction – the Liverpool striker was following in as the ball hit the bar and turned to celebrate a goal instead of trying to knock the rebound into the net. Hurst's argument was that a natural goalscorer such as Hunt would have put the ball into the net himself had he been in any doubt.

It looked like a 3–2 win for England with Hurst as the hero with the winning goal but in the last seconds, as the Germans were pushing everyone forward to seek the equalizer, Moore cleared his lines with a long ball over the German defence. While spectators ran on the field, Hurst ran on towards the goal, stating later that he aimed for the top left corner knowing that, should it miss, the resulting delay would eat away valuable seconds. As it happened, the left-footed shot was struck perfectly, completing a stunning victory and a hat-trick which remains unique to this day. The referee allowed the goal despite the spectators on the field, and there was no time for the Germans to restart the match.

Hurst still emerged the hero of the win but, as a result of the third goal, became an icon of the world^[8].

It is stated often that Hurst's hat-trick is technically a "perfect hat-trick", as he scored with his head, right foot and left foot. Others feel this is contentious, as he scored a disputed goal. It is not a "flawless hat-trick" as this has to be scored without the opposition scoring any goals between the first and third goals.

Last minute[link]

The referee had put his whistle to his lips as Moore shaped to play the final pass to Hurst. He didn't blow it, however, yet some supporters misheard, assumed the game was complete and started invading the pitch. As Hurst collected the pass, BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme immortalised his own contribution to the day with one of the most famous pieces of football commentary ever:

And here comes Hurst, he's got ... [notices invaders] ... some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over! [Hurst shoots and scores] ... It is now! It's four!

Hurst was immediately jumped on by Alan Ball, the only other player upfield at the time Moore played the pass. Meanwhile, cameras quickly snapped a bemused-looking Greaves in his suit and tie on the England bench, amazed at the achievements of the man who had replaced him. Greaves would later say it was an emotional reaction but he was just as thrilled for Hurst and England as the other squad players who had not been picked for the final.

After the match[link]

It wasn't until the celebratory banquet that evening that Hurst realised he had scored a hat-trick, assuming that the final whistle had been blown before he'd struck the ball into the net for his third goal. This meant he had not attempted to get the match ball as a souvenir, which hat-trick scorers traditionally do. Haller, scorer of the Germans' first goal, acquired the ball and was seen holding it as he collected his runner's up medal. He returned it to England more than 30 years later.

The media were desperate to speak one-on-one with Hurst and they found him the day after the final, back home in London. As if to prove that life had to go on, Hurst was carrying out the mundane task of mowing his lawn when the journalists turned up.

Later international career[link]

Hurst continued to play and score for England, and although he won no further honours with West Ham or England in the 1960s he still maintained his England place for much of the period; for the 2–3 seasons immediately after 1966 he was an internationally renowned striker and goalscorer.

Hurst was named in the Ramsey squad which played in Mexico to defend the World Cup in 1970. He scored the only goal of England's opening game against Romania as England progressed to the quarter finals, where once again they faced West Germany. Hurst played a part in a goal for Peters which put England 2–0 up, but the Germans forced their way back and won 3–2 after extra time.

His England career ended the same year with yet another game against West Germany, in the qualification stages for the 1972 European Championships, which England lost. He had won 49 caps and scored 24 goals, currently putting him 11th in the all-time England scorers' list.

Managerial career[link]

Upon his retirement from playing, Hurst moved into management and coaching. He was assistant to his ex-West Ham boss Ron Greenwood after the latter took over the England job in 1977, player-manager of Telford United and manager of Chelsea from 1979–81. He joined Chelsea, then in the Second Division, before the 1979–80 season, initially as assistant manager to Danny Blanchflower. When Blanchflower was sacked, Hurst was appointed manager. Things initially went well, and for much of the season Chelsea were on course for promotion, but two wins from their final seven league games ensured the club finished 4th. The following season again began well, with the Blues among the early promotion pace-setters before a dismal run set in, with Chelsea scoring in just three of their final 22 league matches, culminating in Hurst being sacked on 23 April 1981 and Chelsea finished 12th in the league. It was a far cry from a decade earlier, when Chelsea had been European Cup Winners' Cup winners, although his cause was not helped by Chelsea's perilous financial situation.

Playing statistics[link]

Managerial statistics[link]

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Win %
Chelsea		13 September 1979	23 April 1981	79	35	18	26	44.30

Legacy and post football career[link]

England fans claim that the achievement of Hurst remains unique in global football, while others^{[citation needed]} point out that he scored only one undisputed goal at full time, plus a controversial one in extra time.

Since 1966, only three players have come close to emulating Hurst's hat-trick in a World Cup final. Mario Kempes of Argentina in 1978, Zinedine Zidane for France in 1998 and Ronaldo for Brazil in 2002 all scored two goals in World Cup finals but did not manage a third.

Hurst's contribution to the English game was recognised in 2004 when he was inducted in the English Football Hall of Fame. Hurst is also one of the few footballers who have been knighted, and this recognises his contribution to the game.

In popular culture, a shot bouncing off the crossbar and hitting the line is referred to as a "Geoff Hurst style shot" if no goal is given, or a "Geoff Hurst style goal". An example of that is David Trezeguet (of Juventus's) penalty against Italy in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final when it went to penalties. As he shot, the ball smacked the bar, and in similar circumstances it was not clear if it crossed the line.

He is currently Director of Football for McDonald's fast food chain.^[9]

On 1 April 2010 Hurst took part in an April Fool with online betting company Blue Square. The company staged a mock up press conference to announce their continued sponsorship of the Football Conference in which a journalist asked Hurst if the second goal of his World Cup hat-trick crossed the line. For the purpose of the stunt Hurst acted out a confession that he'd known all along that the ball had not crossed the line.^[10] This was retracted later in the day.^[11]

Hurst was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of East London in November 2010.^[12]

A new statue of Geoff Hurst by Sculpture For Sport was unveiled outside local club Curzon Ashton in December 2010. He is shown alongside fellow 1966 squad member Jimmy Armfield and Simone Perrotta, all World Cup medal winners born in the borough of Tameside whose council commissioned the work.^[13]

Personal life[link]

He now lives in Weybridge, Surrey, with his wife Judith. They have been married since October 1964, having met three years previously at a youth centre. They have three daughters; Claire (born 1966), Joanne (born 1969) and Charlotte (born 1977) and two grandchildren.^[14]

Honours[link]

In 1975 Hurst was decorated with the MBE. In later years, Hurst became a successful businessman, working in the insurance industry. He also became much in demand as a pundit and a motivational speaker. In 1998 he was knighted.

• World Cup: 1966
• UEFA Euro/European Championships/ (Bronze-medal): 1968
• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1965
• FA Cup: 1964
• International Soccer League: 1963

References[link]

External links[link]

• Geoff Hurst Official iPhone App
• Geoff Hurst at CSA Celebrity Speakers
• The official website of Sir Geoff Hurst MBE
• Geoff Hurst management career stats at Soccerbase
• Sir Geoff Hurst's Hat-Trick – for England against West Germany in the FIFA World Cup on 30 July 1966
• England-Expects.org – Comprehensive website detailing current and historical information about the England team
• English Football Hall of Fame Profile
• Geoff Hurst's cricket record from CricketArchive
• BBC radio interview with Geoff Hurst, 1997

v t e England squad – 1966 FIFA World Cup Winners (1st Title) 1 Banks 2 Cohen 3 Wilson 4 Stiles 5 J. Charlton 6 Moore 7 Ball 8 Greaves 9 B. Charlton 10 Hurst 11 Connelly 12 Springett 13 Bonetti 14 Armfield 15 Byrne 16 Peters 17 Flowers 18 Hunter 19 Paine 20 Callaghan 21 Hunt 22 Eastham Coach: Ramsey

v t e England squad – UEFA Euro 1968 Third Place 1 Banks 2 Newton 3 Wilson 4 Mullery 5 Labone 6 Moore 7 Ball 8 Hunt 9 B. Charlton 10 Hurst 11 Peters 12 Stepney 13 West 14 Knowles 15 J. Charlton 16 Wright 17 Stiles 18 Summerbee 19 Hunter 20 Bell 21 Greaves 22 Thompson Coach: Ramsey

v t e England squad – 1970 FIFA World Cup 1 Banks 2 Newton 3 Cooper 4 Mullery 5 Labone 6 Moore 7 Lee 8 Ball 9 B. Charlton 10 Hurst 11 Peters 12 Bonetti 13 Stepney 14 Wright 15 Stiles 16 Hughes 17 J. Charlton 18 Hunter 19 Bell 20 Osgood 21 Clarke 22 Astle Coach: Ramsey

Colin Bell MBE (26 February 1946), is a former English football player who was born in Hesleden, County Durham^[1], England. Nicknamed "The King of the Kippax" (after Manchester City's Kippax Street terraced stand renowned for its singing), and Nijinsky after the famous racehorse (due to his renowned stamina), Bell is widely regarded as Manchester City's greatest ever player. He was part of the famous trio of the late 1960s and early 1970s alongside Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee.

Early career[link]

He began his career at Bury captaining the team at a young age. In 1966 he moved to Manchester City and helped the team earn promotion to the First Division that same year. When trying to sign him for Manchester City, Assistant Manager Malcolm Allison misled other clubs interested in Bell by claiming the player "can't head it, can't pass it, he's hopeless". Allison's stratagem succeeded as Bell signed for City. In 1968 he helped City win their second League Championship. In the same year Bell also won his first England cap against Sweden, where he was instrumental in a 3–1 victory. In 1969 Manchester City won the FA Cup with a 1–0 victory over Leicester City thanks to a goal by Neil Young. That same year Bell distinguished himself in the national team, scoring England's only goal in a 1–0 victory over The Netherlands and also scoring against Brazil. In 1970, Manchester City and Bell won two trophies, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup.

1970 World Cup[link]

In 1970 Bell, along with Manchester City team mate Francis Lee, earned a place in the England squad for the World Cup in Mexico. To help the players acclimatise to the heat of Mexico, the team staged an inter-squad mini-olympics which saw Bell win every event. During the tournament, Bell saw action in the quarter final when he replaced Bobby Charlton in the 2–3 defeat to Germany. The substitution was deemed by some to be the negative (for England) turning point of the game. However, Charlton has argued that it was not the substitution which changed the game, and pointed out that Germany scored their first goal before Charlton was substituted, and also that the German team at the time had a habit of coming back in games indicates that it is wrong to blame the substitutions for England's defeat.

Later career[link]

In total Bell won 48 caps and scored nine goals for England. He also captained the national team for a game in 1972, a defeat to Northern Ireland. Despite these successes, Bell was upset that he was unable to better make his name on the world stage when England failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1974, a failure which also forced England manager Alf Ramsey's departure. Bell's former manager at Manchester City Joe Mercer took over as caretaker of the national side and chose Bell to play in every game that he was in charge.

Bell is regarded as one of England's finest ever midfield players, being described by one commentator as 'the most finished article in the modern game'.^[who?] His finest performances for his country included scoring in the 7–0 demolition of Austria, and also helping England defeat World Champions Germany 2–0 in 1975 at the one hundredth international game played at Wembley Stadium. The team that beat the Germans in that game consisted of a forward line-up of Mick Channon, Kevin Keegan, Malcolm Macdonald, Alan Hudson and Alan Ball as well as Bell. Channon has commented that he did not understand why the manager at the time, Don Revie, did not continue with this line-up which he considered was as good as any forward line England had had since 1970.

Injury and Retirement[link]

Unfortunately, in 1975 at the age of 29, Bell severely injured his right knee against Manchester United in a challenge with Martin Buchan during a League Cup match at Maine Road. He attempted a return in 1977, but called time on a magical career in 1979 having never recaptured the form which guided Manchester City to the 1968 League Title, 1969 FA Cup, 1970 League Cup and 1970 European Cup Winners' Cup and a second League Cup victory in 1976, after collecting a runners up medal and scoring in the final of the same competition two years earlier. The then Manchester City Chairman Peter Swales described Bell as the 'finest tuned athlete' and 'irreplaceable'. This latter sentiment turned out to be true as Malcolm Allison who managed Manchester City again in the late 1970s was not able to find a trio of talented players the calibre of Bell, Summerbee and Lee like he had done in the past with Joe Mercer. In 1980 Bell tried to resurrect his career with NASL side San Jose Earthquakes where he joined former Manchester United player George Best. The move didn't succeed as he only played 5 games for the club.

After football[link]

Bell later continued his service with the Maine Road club by working with the youth team, but left before returning during the 1990s as the club's first ambassador. He was guest of honour at Manchester City's final match at Maine Road against Southampton in May 2003. In 2004, Manchester City polled fans to determine a name for the main stand at their new stadium. Bell won the poll and the West Stand at The City of Manchester Stadium was renamed "The Colin Bell Stand" in honour of their greatest ever player. This was a unique honour, as all of the other remain nameless to this day, although one of the roads leading to the stadium is called "Joe Mercer Way" in honour of Manchester City's most successful manager. Bell was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to the English game. He was also awarded an MBE that year in recognition of his work for charity. He also released his autobiography entitled 'Colin Bell: Reluctant Hero' in 2005. In the book, Bell reveals how his mother died of bowel cancer at 39 when he was too young to remember. Colin Bell's son, a doctor, was asked to have the book autographed for Consultant Surgeon, Jim Hill. When reading about Colin's mother, Mr Hill suggested that the football legend be examined. A bowel tumour was discovered on colonoscopy at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and within two weeks he underwent life-saving surgery.

Legacy[link]

England, Manchester City and Bury fans have fond memories of the football talents of Colin Bell, and many other great players have highlighted Bell as one of the best. In his foreword to Colin Bell's autobiography, Bobby Charlton has stated that 'Colin Bell was unquestionably a great player'.^[2] Alan Mullery, another of Bell's former England team mates stated that Bell would 'still be a star in today's football' and 'would fit into any team'.^[3] Yet another England team mate of Bell's, Kevin Keegan, has stated that Bell 'had it all'.^[4] England legend Tom Finney stated that 'Colin Bell was as good as anything I've ever seen'. Some current fans and pundits in the game, have compared City midfielder Michael Johnson to Bell.^[3] In 2003 Manchester City moved into the new City of Manchester Stadium. By February 2004 one of the stands, the west stand, was named after Bell as a tribute. Only two players have scored more goals than Colin Bell for Manchester City in all competitions: Eric Brook who scored 178 and Tommy Johnson who scored 166. Bell scored 152 goals for Manchester City in all competitions. Bell has been inducted into the Manchester City FC hall of fame along with Billy Meredith, Tommy Johnson, Sam Cowan, Eric Brook, Fred Tilson, Frank Swift, Peter Doherty, Roy Clarke, Bert Trautmann, Ken Barnes, Roy Paul, Alan Oakes, Neil Young, Mike Summerbee, Tony Book, Francis Lee, Joe Corrigan, Paul Lake and Niall Quinn. He was deemed by Goal.com to be England's twenty-sixth best ever footballer.^[5]

Career statistics[link]

International goals[link]

Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition	Scored
12 June 1969	Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	1–2	Friendly match	1 (1)
5 November 1969	Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam	Netherlands	1–0	Friendly match	1 (2)
20 May 1972	Ninian Park, Cardiff	Wales	3–0	British Home Championship	1 (3)
15 November 1972	Ninian Park, Cardiff	Wales	1–0	1974 FIFA World Cup qualification	1 (4)
26 September 1973	Empire Stadium, Wembley	Austria	7–0	Friendly match	1 (5)
30 October 1974	Empire Stadium, Wembley	Czechoslovakia	3–0	1976 European Football Championship qualification	2 (7)
12 March 1975	Empire Stadium, Wembley	West Germany	2–0	Friendly match	1 (8)
24 May 1975	Empire Stadium, Wembley	Scotland	5–1	British Home Championship	1 (9)

Honours won[link]

As a player[link]

Manchester City F.C.

• FA Cup winner 1969
• First Division Champions 1967–68, runner-up 1976-77
• Second Division Champions 1966-67
• League Cup winner 1970, 1976, runner-up 1974
• European Cup Winner's Cup winner 1970
• Charity Shield winner 1969, 1973
• Reserve League Champions 1977-78

Individual[link]

• Included in the Football League 100 Legends list to celebrate the centenary of the Football League in 1998
• The Colin Bell Stand was named in his honour at the City of Manchester Stadium
• Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to English Football
• Voted Manchester City's all-time cult hero by BBC Football Focus
• Awarded the MBE by Her Majesty the Queen in 2005 for services to the community in Manchester

References[link]

Bell, Colin; Cheeseman, Ian Colin Bell: Reluctant Hero, Mainstream Publishing

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• English Football Hall of Fame
• Colin Bell's Sweaty Jockstrap