Coordinates: 52°36′22″N 1°55′04″W / 52.606°N 1.91787°W / 52.606; -1.91787

Aldridge
Aldridge  Aldridge shown within the West Midlands
OS grid reference	SK056009
Metropolitan borough	Walsall
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WALSALL
Postcode district	WS9
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Aldridge-Brownhills
List of places: UK • England • West Midlands

Aldridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England. Historically it was part of the county of Staffordshire, but in 1974 it was incorporated into the Walsall borough as well as the West Midlands county.

History[link]

Aldridge was recorded as a settlement in the Domesday Book of 1086, though the now much larger settlement of Walsall was not.^[1] It was valued at 15 shillings under the name of "Alrewic", which may have originated from an abundance of Alder trees in the area.^[2]

Aldridge began as a small agricultural settlement, with farming being the most common occupation up until the 19th century.

In the 1800s, Aldridge became an industrial town with coal mines and lime kilns. The coal and clay in the area prompted many to set up collieries and brickworks. Aldridge clay is especially useful in the manufacture of blue bricks. The 1881 census shows that the mines and brick works were major employers. Because the coal and clay beneath the eastern side of Aldridge (towards Stonnall) is located much deeper under the surface, extraction of this coal and clay would not have been economically viable. As a result farms continued to dominate the eastern part, though a sand quarry was set up and still remains on Birch Lane.^[3]

During the 20th century modern shops were built in the centre of Aldridge, as well as council buildings. After the Second World War Aldridge became a dormitory town, or suburb, of Birmingham. A small airport called Walsall Aldridge Airport was used during the Second World War and after was used for passenger services.

Aldridge became an urban district in Staffordshire in 1894. Other villages within the district included Pelsall, Walsall Wood, Clayhanger and Streetly. This merged with Brownhills in 1966 to form Aldridge-Brownhills, and then became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in 1974.

Today, Aldridge is a relatively affluent area of Walsall that consists of mostly private homes that have been built since the 1920s. It is a pleasant suburban area contrasting with the more centralised rundown parts of Walsall such as Moxley, Darlaston, Leamore, Blakenall Heath, Harden and Goscote.

Demography[link]

The recorded population in the 2001 Census was 16,862.^[4]

Politics[link]

Since 1979, Aldridge's MP has been Richard Shepherd (Conservative), the MP for Aldridge-Brownhills.^[5][6]

Aldridge is made up of two council wards: Aldridge Central & South, Aldridge North & Walsall Wood. There are currently three Conservative councillors for Aldridge Central & South: John O'Hare, Tom Ansell and John Rochelle. Aldridge North & Walsall Wood is also covered by three Conservative councillors: Keith Sears, Anthony Harris and Mike Flower.^[7]

Education[link]

Aldridge has a number of primary and secondary schools. The primary schools are Cooper and Jordan (CE), Leighswood, St Mary of the Angels (Catholic) and Whetstone Field (Redhouse primary school was closed in the summer of 2006.^[8]). The secondary schools are Aldridge School and St Francis of Assisi Catholic Technology College.

Industry and commerce[link]

In Aldridge there are a large number of factories, mostly located on the Redhouse industrial estate, but also heading up towards Walsall Wood along the main road, Northgate. Some of the most notable factories are the large Ibstock brick works, Harold Bird Golf and the GKN Driveshafts factory, although both of these companies have due to relocation and cheaper foreign imports closed in recent years. Aldridge Plastics Ltd, a plastics injection moulder, was set up in the town in 1968 and continued trading for almost 40 years before ceasing production in 2007. From January 2011, GFP Engineering Ltd, a Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) moulding company, will commence trading after relocating from nearby Lichfield.

Most of the town's shops are located either on High Street, Anchor Road, or in the shopping area known as "The Parade". Well-known shops here include WH Smith, Iceland supermarket, Home Bargains, and Boots The Chemist. There are also a number of independent shops, an indoor market and a large Morrisons supermarket just outside the town centre. The village is covered by three main firms of solicitors. Lloyds TSB, NatWest, Barclays and HSBC all have branches in the town. The oldest independent insurance broker in the area R.H.N. Riley Ltd were established in 1958. There are many take-aways in Aldridge, including two Chinese take-aways, two Indian take-aways, a Greek take-away, a pizza take-away and two fish and chip shops. Many Restaurants both European and Asian can be found here too.

Transport[link]

Aldridge is served by a local bus service. Many of the buses in Aldridge were renumbered in April 2010 as part of National Express West Midlands' attempt to simplify bus services in and around the Walsall area. Buses to Walsall run frequently several times an hour during the day, namely the 6, 7, 7A, 81 (formerly 381) and 997. The 6, a half hourly service, can also be used to commute to Sutton Coldfield. This service (under its previous number, 366) used to run all the way from Walsall, via Aldridge and Sutton Coldfield to Birmingham Airport. The 381 travels to Lichfield, going via Shenstone, and runs every two hours. There are also two routes that run into Birmingham City Centre from Aldridge: the X56, 56 & 56A and the 997, 997A, 997E & 997B.

Aldridge used to have a platform on the Sutton Park Line running to Walsall that operated services for passengers, though the station was closed in 1966 and since then the line has only been used for freight trains. Recently, there has been talk of re-opening this line for passengers and in the late 1990s/early 2000s, plans were drawn up for a modern station to be built on the site of the old one.^[9] The site of the old station lies behind the new doctor's surgery at the bottom of Portland Road, and part of the old platform is still visible. Should the station be re-opened, it has potential to become a park & ride station and could offer services to Birmingham via Sutton Coldfield, or the short journey into Walsall. Despite the plans that have been drawn up, nothing has yet happened. This is mainly because there are too many freight trains and currently no other route to which to move freight traffic.

There are also speculative plans to use the closed South Staffordshire Line as a single track freight line, which would be a quicker route from Stourbridge to Bescot, and this would also clear the way to re-introduce passenger services to Aldridge. This section of line was last used in 1984, and the entire trackbed remains intact, even though the track itself is long gone. There is no timescale for when (or if) the re-opening of this railway through Aldridge will take place, although Network Rail hopes that the bulk of the line between Walsall and Brierley Hill will re-open to goods trains by 2012.

Sports, recreation and entertainment[link]

Aldridge has a cricket and hockey club called "The Stick and Wicket", located on the green behind The Parish Church and the Masonic Hall. Aldridge Hockey Club merged with Walsall Hockey Club in 2011; it is now known as Aldridge & Walsall Hockey Club. More information for the hockey can be found through www.awhockey.co.uk

Aldridge Rugby Football Club was formed in 1998 from an amalgamation of two established rugby clubs based in Birmingham: Witton and Old Centrals. The club is based on the former Old Centrals sports ground at Bourne Vale in Aldridge and currently plays in Midlands 5 West (North) fielding three senior sides.

Aldridge Compass Suites (based at the Masonic Hall on the Green) is a venue for wedding receptions, christenings and other functions.

There are many pubs in the area around Aldridge and multiple restaurants located in the town centre, although the number is decreasing, among those closing being the Red Lion.

There is also the Aldridge Youth Theatre, which was officially opened by the actor Bernard Hepton and is located on Noddy Park Road by the Croft. It is run by a group of volunteers and puts on a variety of plays throughout the year. A pantomime is usually staged in January.

Air Cadets: 425 (Aldridge) Squadron, part of Staffordshire Wing of the Air Training Corps was formed in 1941 and currently occupies a purpose-built HQ close to the village centre. The aims of the Air Training Corps is to promote and encourage in young men and women a practical interest in aviation and the Royal Air Force, to provide training which will be useful both in the Services and in civil life, to foster the spirit of adventure and to develop the qualities of leadership and good citizenship. New cadets (both male and female) can join the Sqn between 13 and ideally 16 years of age and can stay as a cadet up to their 20th birthday. The Squadron is run by uniformed RAFVR(T) officers and ATC SNCO adult staff, assisted by Civilian Instructors and a Padre, and is open on two evenings a week for training. Additional activities also take place most weekends. These include flying, gliding, target shooting, competitions, first aid, Duke of Edinburgh award schemes, sport, fieldcraft, camps, radio communications, band, plastic modelling and many others. As well as making new friends and enjoying the numerous activities cadets can obtain a number of qualifications including BTECs.

The 36th Walsall 1st Aldridge scout group is located on Middlemore Lane, opposite Anchor Meadow, and runs Beaver, Cub, Scout and Explorer sections for boys aged 6 and upwards. The beavers are aged 6–8, cubs are aged 8–10/11, scouts are aged 11–14 and explorers are aged 14–18; network and fellowship follow.

The Methodist Church, located besides the large Morrisons branch, plays host to 1st Aldridge Girl guides, as well as two brownie groups and a rainbow group. The rainbows group is for girls aged 5-7, the brownies for girls aged 7-10, and guides aged 10-14. Older girls do take part, and are known as the senior section.

St. Mary's Parish Church has one of the largest church youth groups in the area. Around 90 young people, between the ages of 13 and 18, attend the group, which meets on Friday nights. The group also hosts an annual summer camp in Wales (in recent years attracting over 100 teenagers), as well as a weekend away in February.

The 33rd Walsall Scout group is based at Aldridge Methodist Church and holds Beavers, Cubs and scouts for boys and girls aged 6–14. They go on annual scout camps and have been to Beaudesert Campsite and Blackwell Adventure.

The 49th Walsall Scout Group is the third Scout Group in Aldridge based at St. Thomas's Church in Churchside Way on the estate just off Lazy Hill Road and Greenwood Road, it also caters for boys between the ages of 6 and 18, it is a thriving Group holding family camps as well as Scout, Cub and Beaver Camps each year.

Famous people[link]

Actors and actresses[link]

Richard Sinnott - Actor attended Leighswood School, then Aldridge Comprehensive. He has appeared in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Where the Heart Is and Life on Mars. He is the older brother of Lee Sinnott (below).

Isabel Dean (1918–1997) film, stage and television actress was born in Aldridge.

Authors[link]

Brigadier (Edward) Richard Holmes (1946-2011). Military historian, author, television presenter, Cranfield professor, and Territorial Army soldier.

Military honours[link]

Charles George Bonner VC, DSC (29 December 1884-7 February 1951), born in Aldridge, was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Bonner Grove is a well-maintained neighbourhood of council flats and privately-owned houses in Aldridge that remembers his name.

Sports men and women[link]

Charles Holland (cyclist) - a British road bicycle racer. He was one of the first two Britons to ride the Tour de France. Rode in Olympic Games: Los Angeles 1932 and Berlin 1936.^{[citation needed]}

Dr. V. E. Milne - Had a doctor's surgery in Portland rd Aldridge played soccer for Aston Villa and played cricket for Scotland.^{[citation needed]}

Charles Harold Ward (16 September 1911 – August 2001) was a prominent English golfer of the 1940s, winner of the British Order of Merit in both 1948 and 1949, and twice finishing third in The Open Championship, in 1948 and 1951.^{[citation needed]}

Johnny Bullock - Jockey-won the Grand National in 1951 on Nickel Coin. She was the 12th mare to win the Grand National and none has triumphed since.^{[citation needed]}

Lee Sinnott - Footballer (born July 12, 1965 in Aldridge, Walsall, England) is an English ex-professional footballer and was the manager of Farsley Celtic, whom he led to promotion three times in four years. He went on to manage Port Vale for a short period. He began his career at Walsall as an apprentice, and played in the 1984 FA Cup final for his next club Watford in 1984. He captained Huddersfield Town to Division Two playoff glory in 1995.

Colin Charvis - former captain of the Wales national rugby union team went to the Redhouse School in Aldridge.^[10]

Eleanor Simmonds MBE - Olympic Swimmer (born in Aldridge, Walsall, England) representing Great Britain in the Olympics. Eleanor won two gold medals and broke the world record in the Women's 400 m freestyle S6 with a time of 5 minutes 46 seconds. She attended Cooper and Jordan Primary School, then Aldridge School, but now attends school in Swansea.^[11]

See also[link]

• Brownhills
• Pelsall
• Walsall

References[link]

External links[link]

• Walsall council local history
• Even more local history
• GENUKI entry
• Aldridge in the Domesday Book

LaMarcus Aldridge

Aldridge with the Trail Blazers against the Wizards
No. 12 – Portland Trail Blazers
Power forward / Center
Personal information
Born	(1985-07-19) July 19, 1985 (age 26) Dallas, Texas
Nationality	American
High school	Seagoville
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
College	Texas (2004–2006)
NBA Draft	2006 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	2006–present
Career history
2006–present	Portland Trail Blazers
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Star (2012) All-NBA Third Team (2011) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2007)

LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge (born July 19, 1985) is an American professional basketball player with the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), 240-pound power forward/center and is the Portland Trail Blazers's team captain.

Early life[link]

Aldridge attended Seagoville High School, where he became a Parade All-American and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 4A Player of the Year prior to graduating in 2004 and attending the University of Texas at Austin.^[1] He declared for the 2004 NBA Draft but ultimately withdrew his name.^[2] According to one report, Aldridge's initial decision to attend college rather than entering the pro ranks directly from high school was influenced by Shaquille O'Neal's personal advice that he should go to college and then evaluate his NBA prospects.^[3] However, in April 2006, near the end of his second year at UT, Aldridge announced that he would leave college to enter the 2006 NBA Draft.^[4]

NBA career[link]

NBA Draft[link]

Aldridge was drafted 2nd overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, only to have his draft rights traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for their pick, Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa, shortly after. The Bulls acquired the pick from the New York Knicks in the 2005 Eddy Curry trade.

Rookie season[link]

Aldridge missed the first seven games of the 2006–07 NBA season due to off-season shoulder surgery, but returned ahead of schedule due in part to an injury to fellow rookie teammate Brandon Roy. Aldridge made an immediate impact on offense, averaging 8.4 points on 54% shooting from the field through his first 14 games. After the loss of starting center Joel Przybilla in February 2007 to season-ending knee surgery, Aldridge was awarded the starting center position and improved his scoring to 14.7 points alongside 8.0 rebounds per game in the month of March. This placed him second in the voting for the Western Conference Rookie of the Month to Roy. On March 31, 2007, in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers, Aldridge was taken to Providence Hospital in Portland for shortness of breath and irregular heartbeat. He was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome on April 9, 2007, and missed the remaining eight games of the 2006–07 season.^[5] Aldridge started 22 games his rookie season.^[6]

Aldridge was one of six players named to the 2007 NBA All-Rookie first team; he tied for fifth place along with Toronto Raptors player Jorge Garbajosa.^[7]

Heart ailment[link]

During the end of the 2006–2007 season he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart ailment. He missed the rest of the regular season in order to monitor the problem and correct it.^[8] Prior to the 2011–2012 season, Aldridge once again underwent surgery to correct complications associated with his heart condition.^[9]

2007–08 season[link]

Aldridge increased his play in his sophomore year, with career highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals, and finished third in voting for the Most Improved Player award.^[10] During this season, Aldridge had injury troubles due to plantar fasciitis, which caused him to miss games from December 11 to December 18, 2007.^[11] After the time missed, Aldridge still had some trouble with the foot but was able to play effectively.

2008–09 season[link]

LaMarcus Aldridge played inconsistently to start the season, adjusting to more defensive pressure. He called the first 15 games "the worst funk" of his life.^[12] Aldridge improved as the season went on:

^[13]

Aldridge developed his offensive game over the course of the season, still relying heavily on his midrange fade away shot. He finished the season averaging 18.1 points and 7.5 rebounds.^[14] Aldridge scored over 20 points in half of the last 28 games of the season. For his first time in the league Aldridge nearly played a full season, missing only one game.^[15]

2009 off-season[link]

In late October, the Portland Trail Blazers signed a contract extension with LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge received a five year $65 million extension. Before committing to Aldridge, the Trail Blazers signed a five year $80 million deal with All-Star Brandon Roy.^[16]

2009–10 season[link]

Aldridge put up similar numbers to the previous season. Early in December Greg Oden suffered a season ending injury.^[17] Aldridge received more minutes and offensive opportunities as a result.

2010–11 season[link]

Aldridge further emerged as a player and a leader in December 2010 after Brandon Roy was out due to knee problems. Aldridge was awarded the NBA Player of the Week twice, for January 17–23 and February 7–13. He scored a career-high 42 points against the Chicago Bulls on February 7, 2011. On March 2, Aldridge received his first NBA Player of the Month award. Aldridge is only the third Trail Blazer to do so, along with Clyde Drexler (1991) and Kelvin Ransey (1981). Aldridge came second in voting for the Most Improved Player award behind Kevin Love. LaMarcus Aldridge was voted to the All-NBA Third Team with 135 votes.

2011-12 season[link]

Due to the lockout, the 2011-2012 NBA season didn't start until Christmas Day 2011. Blazer fans were hopeful that the three players advertised in their "Rise With Us" promotional campaign (Aldridge, Roy and Greg Oden) would finally have a chance to play together for a "full" season. Those plans evaporated when Roy, who suffers from chronic knee problems due to the lack of cartilage in them, retired and Oden, who had only played in 82 games in the past four seasons, had yet another setback in his effort to rehabilitate his knees. This left Aldridge as being the team's leader and captain. The team and many Blazer fans were upset that the "send LA to LA" program had failed to get Aldridge named to the Western Conference all-star team in 2011; the game was played in Los Angeles and Aldridge's nickname is "L-A", hence the promotion. However, Aldridge was named as a reserve on the Western Conference all-star team in 2012. On April 7th, 2012, the Blazers played the Mavericks in Aldridge's hometown of Dallas. Mostly because of Aldridge and Raymond Felton, the Blazers got back into the game after trailing 47-32 late in the second quarter. A great third quarter gave the Blazers an eight-point lead by the end of it. Dallas battled back and tied the game late before several curious decisions by players on both teams led to turnovers and a tie score by the end of regulation. The last time the two teams played in Dallas, the Mavericks won the game 97-94 in double overtime. Dallas had not lost an overtime game in the 2011-2012 season and Portland had lost all of theirs. With 3.7 seconds to go in overtime, the Blazers had the ball to throw in after Dallas took their "foul to give". On the ensuing play, Dallas played good enough defense so as to not allow anybody else but Aldridge catch the inbounds pass. Aldridge then drained a turn-around 20-foot jumper to give the Blazers a 99-97 win. As is the usual custom in the NBA now, the officials went to the scorer's table and watched the replay to insure that Aldridge got the shot off in time. Replay showed that he did and the Blazers had their win. During the game broadcast by Blazer Broadcasting, TV play-by-play man Mike Barrett asked analyst Mike Rice the following trivia question: "Against which two opponents does LaMarcus Aldridge have the most '20 and 10' (at least 20 points and at least 10 rebounds) games?" One of the teams is the LA Lakers; the other is the Dallas Mavericks.

Personal[link]

In the offseason, Aldridge splits his time between the Portland area and his hometown of Dallas, Texas.^[18] In April 2009, Aldridge's son Jaylen Lea Aldridge was born. Aldridge is separated from Jaylen's mother. Jaylen lives with his mother in San Antonio, Texas.^[18]

He appeared in the eighth episode of the second season of Portlandia with Penny Marshall.

Awards and honors[link]

• NBA All-Star: 2012
• All-NBA Third Team: 2011
• NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2007
• Western Conference Player of the Week
  • January 17–23, 2011^[19]
  • February 7–13, 2011^[20]
• Western Conference Player of the Month
  • February, 2011^[21]

Career highs[link]

• Points: 42 on February 7, 2011 against the Chicago Bulls.
• Rebounds: 23 on January 20, 2012 against the Toronto Raptors.
• Assists: 7 on March 22, 2008 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
• Blocks: 7 on December 28, 2010 against the Denver Nuggets.
• Steals: 4 on November 12, 2008 against the Miami Heat. (Matched 4 times)

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• www.lamarcusaldridge.com – LaMarcus Aldridge's Official Website
• LaMarcus Aldridge at NBA.com
• LaMarcus Aldridge at Basketball-Reference.com
• Aldridge Leaves Early @ The Daily Texan Online
• LaMarcus Aldridge profile @ texassports.com
• LaMarcus Aldridge NBA Draft Scouting Report @ DraftExpress.com
• LaMarcus Aldridge player profile @ sports.espn.go.com
• LaMarcus Aldridge player profile @ usabasketball.com
• LaMarcus Aldridge NBA highlights @ Blazersclip.com

John Aldridge

Personal information
Full name	John William Aldridge
Date of birth	(1958-09-18) 18 September 1958 (age 53)
Place of birth	Liverpool, England
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1978–1979	South Liverpool
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1979–1984	Newport County	170	(70)
1984–1987	Oxford United	114	(72)
1987–1989	Liverpool	83	(50)
1989–1991	Real Sociedad	63	(33)
1991–1998	Tranmere Rovers	243	(138)
Total		673	(363)
National team
1986–1996	Republic of Ireland	69	(19)
Teams managed
1996–2001	Tranmere Rovers
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

John William Aldridge (born 18 September 1958 Liverpool, England) is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager. He was a prolific record-breaking striker best known for his productive time with Liverpool in the late 1980s, and for being the first man to have a penalty kick saved in a Wembley FA Cup Final.

Although a significant period of his career was spent in the English non-league and in Spain, his tally of 330 league goals still makes him the 6th top goalscorer in the history of English league football.^[1]

Club career[link]

South Liverpool and Newport County[link]

Aldridge took a long time to reach the top of the game. He began his career in the mid-1970s at non-league South Liverpool, before getting his break in the professional game when, aged 20, he signed for Newport County on 2 May 1979 for £3,500.

When at Somerton Park, "Aldo", as he came to be known, played 198 times scoring 87 goals, a goal every 2¼ games, including a respectable 7 goals in just 12 FA Cup matches. He partnered Tommy Tynan and Dave Gwyther for four years at Somerton Park, helping Newport to promotion from the Fourth Division and into the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.

His first season with County, 1979–80, had been highly promising with 14 goals from 38 games as his side won the Welsh Cup and gained promotion to the Third Division. A year later he featured in the side that achieved the famous European run, though in the league he was less impressive with seven goals from 27 league games. 1981–82 was a bit better as he scored 11 times in 36 games, but in 1982–83 he did better still with 17 goals from 41 games as County narrowly missed out on promotion to the Second Division.^[2]

In 1983–84, with Tynan departed, Aldridge had scored 26 times by the end of February and County were by then a competent Third Division side.^[3]

Oxford United[link]

He then joined, for £78,000,^[4] Oxford United on 21 March 1984 when the club were in the pre-1992 Third Division. He made his debut on 7 April 1984 coming on as a substitute in the 1–0 win over Walsall at Fellows Park. His first goal was in the 5–0 home win against Bolton Wanderers on 20 April 1984.

He was used sparingly in the run-in to the Third Division title but the following season forged a great partnership with Billy Hamilton and became the first Second Division player for 19 years to score as many as 30 goals. He broke the club's record number of goals in a season in 84/85 as the U's gained promotion to the old First Division; he scored 34 goals with 30 coming in the league.

In Division One he was the third-highest League scorer and netted six goals in United's League Cup-winning run in 1986, which culminated in a 3–0 victory over QPR in the final at Wembley. This is Oxford's only major trophy. He was also impressive in the league, as his 23 goals from 39 games were crucial in Oxford avoiding relegation.

Aldridge is fondly remembered by Oxford fans for his role in Oxford United's unprecedented years of success between 1984 and 1986. He ended up playing 141 times for the U's scoring 90 goals,^[4] a goal every 1½ games, including 14 League Cup goals in just 17 ties. He scored four goals against Gillingham in the League Cup on 24 September 1986 and three hat-tricks, the first in the 5–2 beating of Leeds United on 24 November 1984. He also scored one of the two Oxford goals that defeated Manchester United in Alex Ferguson's first game as manager on 8 November 1986.^[5]

Liverpool[link]

Liverpool were losing their chief striker Ian Rush to Juventus at the end of the 1986/87 season and needed a proven and experienced replacement. Aldridge even bore a physical resemblance to Rush. He signed for Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool on 27 January 1987 for £750,000 and cut his teeth with the club as a partner for Rush (filling a position previously occupied by player-manager Kenny Dalglish and fellow striker Paul Walsh). Dalglish had been interested a number of other strikers including Chelsea's David Speedie and Arsenal's Charlie Nicholas for a number of months before settling on Aldridge.^[6]

Liverpool ended the year trophyless, including a Wembley defeat to Arsenal in the League Cup final, for which Aldridge was ineligible.

By the time of his transfer to Liverpool in that 1986–87 league campaign, Aldridge had already scored 15 goals for Oxford in the space of 25 games.^[2]

Aldridge made his debut for the Reds on 21 February 1987, when he came on as a 46th-minute substitute for Craig Johnston in the 2–2 league draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park.^[7] His first goal for his new club came a week later on 28 February; it came in the 60th minute and was the only goal of the game as Liverpool beat Southampton 1–0 in a league match at Anfield.^[8]

Aldridge quickly demonstrated he could cope with the pressure of replacing Rush. After Rush left, Aldridge scored 26 goals in what turned out to be a magnificent season for Liverpool, including a strike in each of the first nine games, forming a 10-match scoring run as he had scored in his final league appearance of the previous season.^[9]

He linked up with new signings Peter Beardsley and John Barnes to form one of the most exciting attacking lines in the club's history as Liverpool lost just twice in the League championship season and went unbeaten for the first 29 matches. Liverpool won the 1988 league title with a nine-point margin over their nearest rivals Manchester United, although the gap between Liverpool and their nearest contenders was considerably wider for most of the season. He was assigned with the number 8 shirt for the 1987–88 season, as manager Kenny Dalglish felt that giving Aldridge the number 9 (previously worn by Rush) would put the pressure on him, and the number 9 shirt went to winger Ray Houghton who had coincidentally also been Aldridge's team-mate at Oxford. (It should be noted that Aldridge actually favoured the number 8 as it was the number worn by his hero, Liverpool legend 'Sir' Roger Hunt.)

Aldridge scored both goals in the club's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest, including a memorable volley from an outstanding team move.^[10] He was also an efficient penalty-taker, but a predictable one too, which led to his season and that of Liverpool ending in heartbreak. With Wimbledon 1–0 up at Wembley, midway through the second half, Liverpool were awarded a spot kick when Aldridge himself was fouled. Wimbledon goalkeeper Dave Beasant had anticipated that Aldridge would strike any penalty given in the FA Cup final to his left as Aldridge had gone that way with every one of his kicks that season, never failing to score. Aldridge did, as predicted, place the penalty to Beasant's left and the keeper sprang across to save it.^[11] He became the first keeper to save a penalty in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Aldridge's failure was his first penalty miss for Liverpool. He was substituted shortly afterwards as Liverpool lost 1–0.

The following season was tough and eventful for Aldridge. Rush failed to settle in Italy and Liverpool negotiated a cut-price deal to bring him back to Anfield. This led to natural speculation that Aldridge would be surplus to requirements, but manager Kenny Dalglish disproved this by regularly playing the two together (despite reservations that the two were stylistically too similar to be strike partners) and, indeed, it was Aldridge who enjoyed the better form during the season, with Rush struggling to re-acquaint himself in his familiar surroundings. In the Charity Shield match against Wimbledon at Wembley, Aldridge started the match and mildly laid his FA Cup ghosts to rest by scoring both goals in a 2–1 win. Aldridge maintained his hot scoring streak while Rush often had to content himself with a place on the bench. In the first league game of the season a week later, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 away win over Charlton Athletic.^[12] He scored another league hat-trick on 14 March, in the 5–0 home win over Luton Town, which took his league tally for the season to 15 goals. He reached the 20-goal mark on 13 May in a 2–1 win at Wimbledon, and would finish the season as the club's top scorer with 22 goals in the league, eight in the FA Cup, two in the League Cup, and two in the Charity Shield, amounting to 34 in all competitions.^[12]

On 15 April 1989, crushes on the terraces at the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough left 94 Liverpool fans dead (the final death toll was 96) and Aldridge, as a native Liverpudlian and boyhood supporter of the club, was deeply affected by the tragedy. He attended every funeral he could and publicly contemplated giving up the game. Ultimately, he returned to the fray and scored two goals in the re-arranged semi-final (once again versus Nottingham Forest) at Old Trafford as Liverpool won 3–1. He courted controversy with the third goal, an own goal by Forest defender Brian Laws: Aldridge was criticised for ruffling the distraught player's hair and laughing in celebration.

Aldridge fully redeemed himself for his penalty failure a year earlier by scoring in the FA Cup final at Wembley against Merseyside rivals Everton after just 4 minutes with his first touch of the ball. Ironically, it was Rush who ultimately sealed the win when he replaced Aldridge and scored twice in extra time to earn Liverpool a 3–2 victory. He had scored 21 league goals that season, and 31 in all competitions – making him one of the highest scorers in the league that season.

The "double" of League championship and FA Cup, achieved by Liverpool in 1986 but denied to them by Wimbledon in 1988, was again possible, with a decider against Arsenal to come at Anfield. Aldridge played in a game which would guarantee Liverpool the title as long as Arsenal didn't win by two clear goals but, 1–0 down in injury time, Liverpool conceded another goal to Michael Thomas with virtually the last kick of the season thus losing the League. Aldridge sank prostrate on to the turf, inconsolable, when the final whistle sounded, and reacted angrily when Arsenal defender and Irish teammate David O'Leary helped him to his feet.

Aldridge played 104 times for his boyhood favourites scoring 63 goals — 50 of them in the Football League.^[13]

Real Sociedad[link]

The following season Rush was fully settled back into the Anfield groove and, with Dalglish reverting to a 4–4–2 formation with Rush and Beardsley as first choice strikers, Liverpool accepted an offer of £1million from Basque side Real Sociedad for Aldridge in early September. This would make Aldridge the first non-Basque player ever to sign for Sociedad.^[4] Before he left Liverpool, he was given a special run-out as a substitute during the club's record-shattering 9–0 win over Crystal Palace in order to score a penalty in front of the Spion Kop. He threw his shirt and boots into the crowd at the end and signed for the Basques the next day – 13 September 1989.

Aldridge was a hit at Atotxa, then Real Sociedad's stadium, Donostia - San Sebastián, scoring 40 goals in just 63 appearances. Despite his success, his family were finding it hard to adapt to the different lifestyle in Basque country. Aldridge handed in a transfer request in 1991 to the newly appointed manager John Toshack – another former Liverpool striker – after just two seasons with the club.

Tranmere Rovers[link]

A return to Merseyside on 11 July 1991 with Tranmere Rovers was Aldridge's next step. He repaid the bargain price of £250,000 as he scored a club-record 40 goals in his first season at Prenton Park – scoring his 40th goal against former club Oxford United.

Aldridge made his debut for Rovers aged 32 on 17 August 1991 scoring both the goals in the 2–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Goldstone Ground. He eventually amassed a total of 294 appearances for the Birkenhead club scoring 174 goals, a goal every 1.7 games, including 22 goals from just 25 League Cup ties. Aldridge retired at the end of the 1997/98 season, fittingly scoring a brace in his last ever game as a professional against Wolverhampton Wanderers.^[14]

His goals also helped them reach their highest position ever in the league – top-six finishes in the second tier in 1993, 1994 and 1995 – which delivered playoff victories each time, but all of them ended in semi-final defeats. This meant that Tranmere could not make it to the Premier League, and Aldridge missed out on the chance of a return to the top flight. At Tranmere, Aldridge also came close to the chance of winning another major trophy – something which would have been unthinkable at the club just a couple of years earlier – as they took Aston Villa to a penalty shoot-out in the 1993–94 League Cup semi-finals before bowing out to the eventual competition winners. Coincidentally, Villa had tried to sign Aldridge 18 months before turning their attention to Dean Saunders (the player who had replaced him at Oxford a few years earlier) instead.

During his career in England alone he played 739 games, scoring 411 times, an incredible goal every 1.8 games.

On 12 March 1996, he became player-manager of Tranmere, finally giving up playing and concentrating on the management side two years later. In 889 career appearances, he scored a record 476 goals, a tally not matched by any goalscorer in post-war English football to this day.

He had a decent start to his managerial career, as a fine finish to the 1995–96 season put Tranmere's Division One survival beyond all doubt.^[15]

Tranmere were involved in some memorable runs and giant-killing acts in cup competitions, including reaching the 2000 Football League Cup Final (which they lost to Leicester City) and consecutive FA Cup quarter-finals in 2000 and 2001. However, they were relegated into English football's third tier in 2001, where they have since remained. Aldridge resigned in March 2001 just before Rovers went down, and has yet to return to management.^[16]

International career[link]

Aldridge had already been recruited to play for the Republic of Ireland by the time he was approached by his boyhood club Liverpool at the start of 1987. When the Football Association of Ireland came looking for him they found out that Ray Houghton was also eligible, as he also played for Oxford at the time. He made his debut on 26 March 1986 against Wales at Lansdowne Road in a 1-0 defeat.^[17]

That summer, Aldridge played for the Irish side which had qualified, under Jack Charlton, for Euro 88 in West Germany, their first-ever major finals. They duly beat England 1–0, and drew 1–1 with the USSR, but went out of the competition after a defeat by eventual champions Holland. Aldridge was struggling at international level at this time – he was playing well as a team performer, and Charlton was never unhappy, but it took him 20 matches to score his first international goal, which came against Tunisia at Lansdowne Road on 19 October 1988.^[18]

Aldridge withdrew himself from Ireland's World Cup qualifying tie with Spain at Lansdowne Road on 26 April 1989, as he felt unable to participate in the game due to his grief over the Hillsborough disaster.^[19] The game ended in a 1–0 win for Ireland.^[20]

Aldridge was a success with Sociedad and also played a crucial role in Ireland's path to the quarter-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Though he had finally opened his goal account for his country, he failed to score at the World Cup and Ireland lost to the host nation in the last eight. Aldridge played every game but was substituted in all of his five appearances.

Aldridge's international career with Ireland is also remembered for an off-pitch incident at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Trailing 2–0 to Mexico in a group game in Orlando, Florida, manager Charlton tried to send Aldridge on as a substitute but was delayed by a perceived sluggishness from the officials. Manager and player both launched expletive-laden tirades which were clearly heard by television viewers, with Aldridge having to be restrained from attacking the 4th official and a FIFA representative. Both were punished after the game, but when Aldridge finally was allowed on, after 6 full minutes of trying, he scored a goal to give Ireland a chance to get back into the game. Despite losing the game 2–1, Aldridge's goal was crucial in securing qualification for the second round.^[21] All four teams in the group had finished with the same number of points and the same goal difference, Ireland's qualification was at the expense of Norway who had scored just one goal fewer.

Career after football[link]

Aldridge is now a pundit with various media organisations – most notably with Radio City 96.7 where he summarises on the station's Liverpool commentaries home and away. He also continues to play in the Liverpool veterans' team. In 1998, he asked Hyder Jawad to ghost-write his autobiography. John Aldridge: My Story was published by Hodder & Stoughton the year after.

In 2006 he gained media celebrity in Ireland by appearing in RTE's Charity You're A Star competition. Despite not having a natural singing voice, Aldridge won the competition and in the process raised money for his nominated charity Temple Street Children's Hospital.^[22]

Aldridge was a crowd favourite everywhere he went, especially on Merseyside where being a local lad helped his cause. This was confirmed when a poll conducted by the official Liverpool Football Club website during the summer of 2006 placed him in a respectable 26th position. 110,000 Liverpool supporters worldwide took part in the poll named '100 Players Who Shook The Kop', where they were asked to name their favourite Reds of all time.

In March 2008, Aldridge took part in the autobiography audio CD series 60 minutes with John Aldridge. He spoke in depth about his career with 60 minutes presenter David Knight and later took part in a major signing session, signing 2000 copies of the CD in support of the Everyman appeal charity.^[23]

Up to 2009, Aldridge was in a partnership in a bar called Aldo's on Victoria Street in Liverpool. The bar was a firm favourite with Irish Liverpool fans coming over to watch the Reds play.

Aldridge is a patron of AFC Liverpool, a non-league football club set up by Liverpool FC fans in 2008.

John Aldridge was allegedly involved in the News of the World hacking scandal in the mid-2000s. "They tell me I was hacked five or six years ago. I have no idea why they should go after me. I'm not exactly high profile."^[24]

Career statistics[link]

* Other - Charity Shield, Full Members Cup, Football League Trophy & Play-Off Games

Career honours[link]

Playing honours[link]

Newport County

• Welsh Cup
  • Winner (1): 1980

Oxford United

• 3rd Division
  • Winner (1): 1983–84
• 2nd Division
  • Winner (1): 1984–85
• Football League Cup
  • Winner (1): 1985–86

Liverpool

• 1st Division
  • Winner (1): 1987–88
  • Runner-up (2): 1986–87, 1988–89
• Charity Shield
  • Winner (2): 1988, 1989
• FA Cup
  • Winner (1): 1989
  • Runner-up (1): 1988
• Football League Cup
  • Runner-up (1): 1987

Managerial honours[link]

Tranmere Rovers

• Football League Cup
  • Runner-up (1): 2000

References[link]

External links[link]