Peter Noble
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Peter Noble | ||
| Date of birth | 19 August 1944 | ||
| Place of birth | Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, UK | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1960–1964 | Consett | ? | (?) |
| 1964–1968 | Newcastle United | 25 | (7) |
| 1968–1973 | Swindon Town | 214 | (62) |
| 1973–1980 | Burnley | 243 | (63) |
| 1980–1983 | Blackpool | 97 | (14) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Peter Noble (born 19 August 1944 in Sunderland) is a retired football forward.
Noble began his career with Consett where he combined a career in painting and decorating with football. After an impressive season with a record breaking Consett side he was signed for nearby giants Newcastle United FC where he made 25 appearances.
Noble signed for Swindon Town from Newcastle United in January 1968 for £8,000 and made his debut as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Walsall at the beginning of February.
In the following season he scored sixteen league goals and was the club's top scorer, but his main contribution was to the successful League Cup campaign. He played in every match en route to the Final. Noble scored four goals, including the extra time winner in the semi-final replay versus Burnley.[1] He only discovered five years later that he had suffered a broken shoulder blade in that game.[2] In the final Swindon beat First Division giants Arsenal 3-1 in one of the greatest giant killing feats of all time.
He was the club's top scorer again in 1969/1970 with twelve goals and once more in 1971/1972, with fourteen. He also scored in both the 1969 Anglo-Italian League Cup Final and the 1970 Anglo-Italian Cup Final where he lined up against Roma and one Fabio Capello. (The Italian later stated that the experience of playing and losing to Swindon led to his enduring respect for the English game and the beginning of a long term ambition to manage the English national side). Noble left Swindon at the end of the 1972/1973 season, when Burnley paid £40,000 for his services.
Burnley originally played him in the fullback position[2] before eventually moving him up into midfield, and he became their top scorer for three of the following four seasons. He also became the team's penalty taker.[2] Noble was and always has been a firm favourite with the Turf Moor faithful and his commitment, drive and goal scoring earned him a place in the hearts of Burnley fans. Noble scored 63 goals in 243 appearances and was club captain for much of the time of his seven-year stay at the club.
In 1980 he moved to Blackpool where he continued a partnership with another ex Burnley player, Paul Fletcher. At this time he also opened a sports shop in Burnley - Peter Noble Sport Ltd. - which he successfully ran with his family for nearly 20 years.[2]
References
- ^ "How we beat the Gunners". Heroes of 69. Swindon Advertiser. 1999. Archived from the original on June 19, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d "Town heroes 30 years on". Heroes of 69. Swindon Advertiser. 1999. Archived from the original on June 19, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
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Noble ended his career having scored every penalty he took. This record of 28 consecutive penalties is widely believed to be a world record. In 1985 a question about Noble's penalty kicks appeared in the first edition of the popular board game 'Trivial Pursuit'.
In 2006 at a special dinner at Turf Moor Peter Noble, along with a number of other players was officially declared a 'Burnley Football Club Legend' by the East Lancashire club.
External links
- Peter Noble at Soccerbase
- Player Profile - Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk
- Player Profile - Claretsmad.co.uk
- Player Profile - Football-England.com
