John Atyeo
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Peter John Walter Atyeo | ||
| Date of birth | 7 February 1932 | ||
| Place of birth | Dilton Marsh, England | ||
| Date of death | 8 June 1993 (aged 61) | ||
| Place of death | Warminster, England | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1950–1951 | Portsmouth | 2 | (0) |
| 1951–1966 | Bristol City | 596 | (314) |
| Total | 598 | (314) | |
| National team | |||
| 1955–1957 | England | 6 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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John Atyeo (7 February 1932 – 8 June 1993) was an English football striker who spent the majority of his career at Bristol City. He won six England caps between 1955 and 1957, scoring five goals. Atyeo made 645 appearances for Bristol City and scored a record 351 goals for them.
He remained a semi-professional throughout his sporting career, working also as a quantity surveyor and a mathematics teacher.
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[edit] Biography
Peter John Walter Atyeo was born in Dilton Marsh, just outside of the town of Westbury, Wiltshire. As a schoolboy he excelled at football, rugby and cricket. His first competitive games were for Westbury United F. C.,[1] then Football League champions Portsmouth gave him two first team appearances in the 1950/51 season as an amateur, but he signed as a professional for Bristol City in the following season.[2]
He enjoyed a fifteen year career with Bristol City despite offers from Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool and AC Milan which were worth around £20 million in today's money[3] and could have made him the most expensive player in England, making 645 appearances and became Bristol City's all time top scorer with 351 goals[4] by the time he retired in May 1966. He captained the team during their promotion winning season in 1965.[2]
Throughout that period he played as a part-timer, working firstly as a quantity surveyor and then training to become a teacher. Atyeo won six England caps from 1955 to 1957. It was conjectured that his part time status led to his being dropped by the England selectors despite never having been on a losing side in his six international appearances, scoring five goals and having scored the goal that enabled England to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden.[2]
Following his retirement from football, Atyeo became a full time mathematics teacher at Kingdown School, Warminster, where he served for over 20 years, rising to head of mathematics. He was regarded as a dedicated teacher. Atyeo also wrote a regular football column for the Plymouth based Sunday Independent newspaper.[2]
He died at home in Warminster of heart failure on 8 June 1993, survived by his wife Ruth and five children: Julie, Carol, Alison, Linda and Philip.[2]
[edit] Memorials
The new stand that replaced the Park End at Ashton Gate stadium in 1994 is named the Atyeo Stand after him.[5] Bristol City Supporters Trust are to commission a statue of Atyeo, for which fundraising is ongoing, to be placed outside of Bristol City's proposed new ground.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ "Club History". Westbury United F. C.. http://www.westburyunited.co.uk/history.pl. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Ponting, Ivan (10 June 1993). "Obituary: John Atyeo". People (The Independent on Sunday). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-john-atyeo-1490652.html. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
- ^ Hopegood, Tom; Hudson, John (November 2005). ATYEO: The Hero Next Door. Bristol: Redcliffe Press. ISBN 1 904537 41 3. http://www.redcliffepress.co.uk/bristol.html. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ^ "All-time Leading Golascorers". Bristol City Football Club. Bristol City Football Club. http://www.bcfc.co.uk/page/Records/0,,10327~484747,00.html. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ^ "Bristol City". THE FSF Ground Guide. The Football Supporters Federation. http://www.fsf.org.uk/ground-guide/stadiums/bristol-city/ashton-gate/. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
- ^ "Build a statue for Atyeo". Bristol City Supporters Trust. Bristol City Football Club. 17 November 2008. http://www.bcfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10327~1455194,00.html. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
