Kevin Drinkell
Encyclopedia
Kevin Smith Drinkell is a former professional footballer and football manager. He runs his football Agency Kevin Drinkell Sport Management Ltd in Stirling, Scotland. He was a striker, noted for his aerial ability and the number of headed goals he scored as a result.
where he scored 89 goals in 272 games. His goals got him noticed by other clubs and in 1985 Norwich City
manager Ken Brown signed him for a fee of £90,000. Norwich were rebuilding their squad after relegation from the first division and had looked set to sign striker Trevor Senior
from Reading
, however when he opted to stay with the Royals they turned their attention to Drinkell. The fee was set by a Football League tribunal and the figure angered Grimsby, who considered his value to be much higher.
Drinkell quickly proved that Norwich had indeed got a bargain. In his first season at Carrow Road
he scored 22 league goals as Norwich won the Second Division championship. With Norwich being Football League Cup
holders, Drinkell would also have experienced UEFA Cup
action that season had it not been for the ban on English clubs in European competitions arising from the Heysel disaster in May 1985.
It won him the Golden Boot for being the division's top scorer as well as the first of two consecutive Norwich City player of the year
awards. His goalscoring form continued in the First Division. His most memorable goal for Norwich - by popular consensus among supporters - came in a match against Liverpool
on 11 April 1987 at Carrow Road. Liverpool were reigning league champions and were looking to regain the title. The score was 1-1 late in the game, when Drinkell picked up the ball at the edge of the area and hit a fierce shot from a difficult angle past Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar
. It ended one of the most famous statistics in football, as it was the first time that Liverpool had lost a league match in which Ian Rush
had scored. Norwich finished fifth that season, but Drinkell and his colleagues were once again denied the chance of UEFA Cup action, as UEFA
voted for the ban on English clubs in European competitions to continue for at least another season. He added a further 12 league goals in 1987-88
, though Norwich finished in the bottom half of the table this time - a decline in form which had seen manager Ken Brown dismissed in favour of coach Dave Stringer
in December 1987.
In total, Drinkell scored 57 goals in 150 games for Norwich.
In 1987, Drinkell rejected the chance of a move to Manchester United
, just after the appointment of Alex Ferguson
as their manager.
Drinkell's exploits earned him a £600,000 move to Rangers
, who signed him ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in the 1988 close season. He won Scottish League Championship and Scottish League Cup
medals at Ibrox
, but lost his place to new signing Mo Johnston
for the 1989-90 season
and played just four more games for Rangers before his return to England in October 1989 when he signed for Coventry City.
Despite scoring on his debut against his hometown team, Grimsby, in the Football League Cup
, his goalscoring form deserted him at Highfield Road (he failed to score in any of his 15 league appearances in the 1990-91 season
,and after a short loan spell with Birmingham City
in the autumn of 1991 he began his coaching career in Scotland
with Falkirk
. He coached and managed Stirling Albion
before becoming Montrose
manager in 1998. He was sacked two years later as a result of the team's poor league performance.
In 2002, Norwich City fans voted Drinkell an inaugural member of the Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame.
Career
Drinkell began his career with hometown club Grimsby TownGrimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
where he scored 89 goals in 272 games. His goals got him noticed by other clubs and in 1985 Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
manager Ken Brown signed him for a fee of £90,000. Norwich were rebuilding their squad after relegation from the first division and had looked set to sign striker Trevor Senior
Trevor Senior
Trevor Senior was a striker with Reading Football Club.Senior started his career at Dorchester. He joined Portsmouth in 1981 for £35,000, and then moved to Reading where he scored 184 goals in 362 league and cup appearances in two spells between 1983 and 1992...
from Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, however when he opted to stay with the Royals they turned their attention to Drinkell. The fee was set by a Football League tribunal and the figure angered Grimsby, who considered his value to be much higher.
Drinkell quickly proved that Norwich had indeed got a bargain. In his first season at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
he scored 22 league goals as Norwich won the Second Division championship. With Norwich being Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
holders, Drinkell would also have experienced UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
action that season had it not been for the ban on English clubs in European competitions arising from the Heysel disaster in May 1985.
It won him the Golden Boot for being the division's top scorer as well as the first of two consecutive Norwich City player of the year
Norwich City player of the year
The Norwich City player of the year award is voted for annually by Norwich City's supporters, in recognition of the best overall performance by an individual player throughout the football season...
awards. His goalscoring form continued in the First Division. His most memorable goal for Norwich - by popular consensus among supporters - came in a match against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on 11 April 1987 at Carrow Road. Liverpool were reigning league champions and were looking to regain the title. The score was 1-1 late in the game, when Drinkell picked up the ball at the edge of the area and hit a fierce shot from a difficult angle past Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce David Grobbelaar is a former football goalkeeper and manager.He played for a number of clubs in a career which spanned for more than 20 years at professional level, most notably Liverpool during their dominant period in the 1980s and early 1990s.-Early years:In his teenage years, Grobbelaar...
. It ended one of the most famous statistics in football, as it was the first time that Liverpool had lost a league match in which Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
had scored. Norwich finished fifth that season, but Drinkell and his colleagues were once again denied the chance of UEFA Cup action, as UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
voted for the ban on English clubs in European competitions to continue for at least another season. He added a further 12 league goals in 1987-88
1987-88 in English football
The 1987–88 season was the 120th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season....
, though Norwich finished in the bottom half of the table this time - a decline in form which had seen manager Ken Brown dismissed in favour of coach Dave Stringer
Dave Stringer
Dave Stringer , is a former player and manager of Norwich City football club.As a player, he won the fans' vote to be Norwich City player of the year in 1972 and made a total of 499 appearances for the club. He ended his playing career with Cambridge United before returning to Norwich city to coach...
in December 1987.
In total, Drinkell scored 57 goals in 150 games for Norwich.
In 1987, Drinkell rejected the chance of a move to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, just after the appointment of Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
as their manager.
Drinkell's exploits earned him a £600,000 move to Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, who signed him ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in the 1988 close season. He won Scottish League Championship and Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
medals at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, but lost his place to new signing Mo Johnston
Mo Johnston
Maurice John Giblin "Mo" Johnston is a former football striker.Johnston began his football career with Partick Thistle in 1981 before moving to Watford in 1983. With Watford Johnston scored 23 league goals, made his international debut, and helped the team reach the 1984 FA Cup Final...
for the 1989-90 season
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
and played just four more games for Rangers before his return to England in October 1989 when he signed for Coventry City.
Despite scoring on his debut against his hometown team, Grimsby, in the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
, his goalscoring form deserted him at Highfield Road (he failed to score in any of his 15 league appearances in the 1990-91 season
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
,and after a short loan spell with Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in the autumn of 1991 he began his coaching career in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
with Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
. He coached and managed Stirling Albion
Stirling Albion F.C.
Stirling Albion F.C. are a Scottish football club currently playing in the Scottish Second Division. The club are nicknamed The Binos . They play at Doubletree Dunblane Stadium in Stirling, on the outskirts of the city near the River Forth...
before becoming Montrose
Montrose F.C.
Montrose Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football team, based in the town of Montrose, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division.- Early years :...
manager in 1998. He was sacked two years later as a result of the team's poor league performance.
In 2002, Norwich City fans voted Drinkell an inaugural member of the Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame.
Grimsby Town
- Division FourFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
Runners up, Promoted: 1979 - Division ThreeFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
Championship winner 1980 - Supporters Player of the Year 1983
- Supporters Young Player of the Year 1977
Norwich City
- Division Two Championship winner (promoted 1986)
- Norwich CityNorwich City F.C.Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
Player of the Year 1985-1986 & 1986-1987 - Inaugural member of Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame, 2002
External links
- Lacking information at present (17 July 2006)- electronicfishcake.com - Grimsby player profile
- sporting-heroes.net - Rangers player profile
- ex-canaries.co.uk - Norwich City player profile