Derek Stokes

Derek Stokes (13 September 1939 – 24 May 2022) was an English professional footballer who played for Bradford City and Huddersfield Town during the 1950s and 1960s, as a striker.

Early life Born in Snydale near Normanton, Stokes was the youngest of 11 children, 10 boys and 1 girl.

Career Stokes began his career with Bolton Wanderers and Snydale Road Athletic, before moving from Snydale to Bradford City in May 1956. He had two spells with the club which saw him score 55 goals in 126 league games. He scored in 8 consecutive matches between 26 December 1959 and 6 February 1960, scoring a total of 14 goals; the record was later matched by Nahki Wells. He scored on both of his debuts for Bradford City and on his debut for Huddersfield.

He also played for England under-23s.

Later life and death After retiring in 1970, Stokes worked as a golf steward and publican. Following his retirement, Stokes moved down to Charmouth in Dorset in 2004 before returning to Bradford in 2016. Stokes was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018 and died from complications from the disease on the evening of 24 May 2022 at the age of 82.

His funeral was held on 14 July and was attended by friends, family and former teammates.