Ian Handysides

Ian Handysides
Personal information
Full name	Ian Robert Handysides
Date of birth	14 December 1962
Place of birth	Jarrow, England
Date of death	17 August 1990 (aged 27)
Place of death	Solihull, England
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1978–1980	Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years	Team
1980–1984	Birmingham City
1984–1986	Walsall
1986–1988	Birmingham City
1986	→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ian Robert Handysides (14 December 1962 – 17 August 1990) was an English footballer.

Handysides was born in Jarrow. He began his footballing career when he joined Birmingham City on leaving school in 1979. A year later he made his first-team debut as a midfielder and by 1982 was a regular player in Birmingham's First Division side. By the turn of 1984, he had lost his place in the first team and was transferred to Walsall (in the Third Division) in hope of getting more first-team chances. He was a regular player for Walsall and within two years of joining, he returned to Birmingham.

In the autumn of 1986, Handysides was loaned out to Wolverhampton Wanderers and scored twice in 11 Fourth Division fixtures. On his return to Birmingham, he quickly re-established himself as a first-team regular and made 30 appearances in the 1987-88 Second Division campaign, scoring three goals, as he helped the club avoid relegation.

In the autumn of 1988, Handysides was diagnosed with a brain tumour. After a course of chemotherapy, he appeared to be recovering well, however this then spread to his spine and he died in Solihull on 17 August 1990, when still only 27 years old.

Handysides also made a few appearances for England Youth Team during his first spell with Birmingham, during which time many observers described him as "the new Trevor Francis", although he never lived up to this hype.

References

Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
Sporting-heroes.net

This biographical article related to association football in England, about a midfielder born in the 1960s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.