Dennis Fidler

Dennis John Fidler (22 June 1938 – 2 June 2015) was an English footballer. A winger, he scored 59 goals in 229 league appearances in an 11-year career in the Football League.

A two-time FA Youth Cup winner with Manchester United, he turned professional at Manchester City in 1957. He joined Port Vale in May 1960 before being sold to Grimsby Town for £2,000 in October 1961. He was promoted out of the Third Division with the "Mariners" in 1961–62 before joining Halifax Town. He spent five years at the club, playing 143 league games, before transferring to Darlington in 1967. The next year he signed with Macclesfield Town and won the Northern Premier League twice as well as the FA Trophy.

Career Fidler was born in Stockport in 1938. Les McDowall gave him his senior debut in October 1957, as he played outside-forward in a 2–2 draw with Luton Town. Fidler replaced Paddy Fagan, who had been away on international duty. Fagan returned in the next match. Fidler had to wait over a year to receive another opportunity, a four-game run in place of Bobby Johnstone. During this spell he scored his first senior goal in a 4–0 win over Leeds United in a First Division match at Elland Road. In February 1959 he made his final appearance for the club, against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Fidler joined Norman Low's Port Vale in May 1960. He scored on his debut, in a 3–1 defeat to Bury at Gigg Lane on 27 August.

After retiring from football at Moss Rose, he worked in the family wholesale fish business and emigrated to Italy in 1990.

Career statistics

Honours Manchester United FA Youth Cup: 1955 & 1956

Grimsby Town Football League Third Division second-place promotion: 1961–62

Macclesfield Town Northern Premier League: 1968–69 & 1969–70 FA Trophy: 1970