John Archer

John Archer (18 June 1941 – 12 December 2021) was an English footballer who played as a midfielder and inside forward for five professional teams.

He began his career with Port Vale in July 1958 before moving on to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in May 1961. Five years later, he signed with Crewe Alexandra for a £3,000 fee. He helped the club to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1967–68. He was sold to Huddersfield Town for £8,000 in January 1968. He then signed with Chesterfield for a £1,000 fee in May 1969, and captained the club to the Fourth Division title in 1969–70. He later played for Sandbach Ramblers, Congleton Town and Nantwich Town, and scouted for Chesterfield.

Career Port Vale Archer graduated through the Port Vale junior squad to sign as a professional in July 1958. He made his Third Division debut in the 1959–60 campaign under manager Norman Low. He scored twice against Wrexham in a 3–1 victory at Vale Park on 16 April 1960, finishing the campaign with three goals in six games. Crewe were aiming for promotion in the Fourth Division, but the "Railwaymen" finished fifth in 1966–67, four points short of promotion. Crewe won promotion the following season, though Archer left the club midway through.

Huddersfield Town In January 1968, Archer was sold to Huddersfield Town for a fee of £8,000 plus a player in exchange. He played a total of 129 games for Chesterfield, scoring 24 goals.

Style of play Able to play as an inside forward or midfielder, Archer was a slow, stocky and aggressive player who had good technical qualities, vision and set piece ability.

Later life After retiring from the professional game, Archer became player-manager of Sandbach Ramblers and also appeared for Congleton Town before holding the managerial reins at Nantwich Town from January 1982 to the end of the season.

Career statistics

Honours Chesterfield Football League Fourth Division: 1969–70