Geoff Strong

Arsenal Strong played mainly in the Gunners youth and reserve sides and his first-team debut was delayed by his call-up for National Service in April 1960. He finally started for the first team against Newcastle United on 17 September 1960, two days before his 23rd birthday; he scored the last goal as Arsenal won 5–0.

Strong played 19 league games that season, scoring ten goals, and appeared in 20 the following season, 1961–62, before finally becoming an automatic first-choice in 1962–63. Playing as an inside forward or centre forward, Strong formed a lethal attacking partnership with Joe Baker and became a regular goalscorer for the clubhis record being 31 in all competitions in 1963–64; Baker and Strong together scored 62 that season.

However, despite Strong and Baker's goalscoring efforts, Arsenal were going through a barren patch; the best league position they achieved during this period was seventh, and they made little impact in the FA Cup. Strong made it clear he wanted to move to a more successful club. Although he was still a regular starter at the start of the 1964–65 season, Arsenal sold him for £40,000 to Liverpool in November 1964. He had scored 77 goals from 137 matches for the Gunners.

After just 16 appearances in a red shirt Strong's wish for more success came to fruition, as Liverpool won the FA Cup for the first time in the club's 73-year history. Strong, who was now used as a utility man, made his first appearance in the competition for Liverpool in the final at Wembley, deputising for the injured Gordon Milne as the Reds beat Leeds United 2–1 after extra time. but he eventually settled in at left back after Gerry Byrne retired. After 201 matches and 33 goals,

Retirement

After retiring, he left the game completely, and for a while ran his own hotel furnishing business; In the 2006 Liverpool F.C. website poll, "100 Players Who Shook The Kop", Strong was voted in at number 95.

Strong, who had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for some years, died at the age of 75 in a Southport care home in the morning of 17 June 2013.

Honours

Liverpool Football League First Division: 1965–66 FA Cup: 1964–65 FA Charity Shield: 1965, 1966