Remembering David Longhurst

It almost passed me by that yesterday was the anniversary of David Longhurst’s passing.

David wasn’t a Lincoln City player, but oddly, he became a part of my childhood, part of my realisation that football wasn’t all about divide. My personal experience of football was tragedy after tragedy in my early years, this being the latest in a short, sharp introduction to the game.

My first memories of any football were of the Bradford Fire Disaster in 1985. Four years later, I was at a jumble sale in Wragby when news of Hillsborough filtered through, a game two of my closest friends were at (in another stand). A year later, I had my Subbuteo spread out on the carpet at home, watching teletext, the only way you learned about goals back in the day. City were away at York, and a curious A-A appeared instead of 0-0.

The radio filled in the rest.

25-year-old David Longhurst had already played against City in spells with Halifax and Peterborough. He hadn’t scored against us, but while with the Shaymen he netted 23 times in two seasons, and could have played a big role in Imps history – he gave Halifax a 2-1 lead against Rochdale on May 4th, 1987. Had Rochdale lost that game, City would have been safe from the drop into the GMVC.

His form earned him a move to Northampton Town, champions of Division Four, £40,000 the fee. He was a player in demand, seemingly with the world at his feet. He scored seven in 37 in the Third Division for the Cobblers, before a £55,000 move to Peterborough United fresh to face City in Division Four.

His time at London Road was marred by injury, despite promising early signs. He bagged a hat trick in the FA Cup against Gillingham, netting seven in 58 league matches. In March 1990, he swapped Posh for Minstermen, penning a deal with York City. The Minstermen had high hopes for the former Nottingham Forest trainee, a one-time protege of Brian Clough.

The new league season was only three matches old as I sat on my living room floor watching the scores unfold. At Bootham Crescent, Longhurst had already had some decent chances to put his side 1-0 up. Just before half-time, as he chased a ball down the right flank, he stopped and dropped to the floor. Tragically, he had passed away upon arrival at the hospital. His post-mortem revealed he had suffered from cardiomyopathy – a severe myocardial disease leading to heart failure.

The game was abandoned, the result stood, and the name David Longhurst became etched into York City history. A stand was named after him at Bootham Crescent, and when they moved grounds, a street built on the new ground was given his name. On that bright September afternoon, his name was also etched into my young memory, someone I’d always remember, despite never having actually seen. He was the first player to pass away on the pitch since Sam Wynne in 1927.

I think it’s worth remembering David Longhurst on our site this morning, albeit 24 hours late.