Mike Hellawell

Birmingham City Hellawell joined Birmingham City on 15 May 1957, and Hellawell made only one more first-team appearance over the next two years, He had a short run in the side in the 1959–60 season, was considered unlucky to lose his place, and finally established himself after Hooper's transfer to Sunderland in September 1960.

He finished the 1960–61 season as Birmingham's top league scorer, jointly with Jimmy Harris, with 10 goals. He played in all six of their 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ties, scored against the Copenhagen XI, and supplied the cross from which Costanzo Balleri scored an own goal that won the semi-final first leg against Internazionale to set a record that Birmingham held for more than 40 years: the only English team to beat Inter in a competitive match in their own stadium. In the first leg of the final, in Birmingham, visitors Roma led 2–0; Hellawell pulled a goal back with 10 minutes left, and Bryan Orritt scored a late equaliser.

Over the next three seasons, Hellawell missed only five matches in all competitions. He was on the winning side in the 1963 League Cup final as Birmingham beat local rivals Aston Villa 3–1 over two legs. Having won the home leg 3–1, Birmingham were "eager to protect their lead rather than add to it" in the second, and the Birmingham Post Cyril Chapman noted how Hellawell "seemed to have difficulty in finding a convenient spot on which to place the ball for corner-kicks".

In September 1964, it was reported that Aston Villa had made a bid of £40,000 for Hellawell's services, but Birmingham's temporary shortage of available players meant it was not immediately acted upon. In the meantime, Villa signed an alternative winger, but Hellawell was unsettled by the reports and the implication that Birmingham were prepared to sell him. After "peace talks" with the club's general manager, he did not proceed with a transfer request, and continued as a regular starter until losing his place in November because of injury. He played for the reservestaking over in goal on one occasion after Terry Twell was concussed, and conceding only once but there was no place for him in first-team coach Joe Mallett's new formation which employed a defender in the inside-right position.

Sunderland On 23 January 1965, Hellawell signed for Sunderland for a fee reported as around £30,000. He made an eventful start: on his debut, against Blackpool he suffered double vision and a broken nose. During the second half of the next match, at Sheffield Wednesday, he developed a headache. He left to go home, but was found in the street in a confused state, spent the weekend in a local hospital, and declared himself unfit for the next match. He played regularly for the rest of the season and scored twice. He remained unused, and two weeks later he became the first Sunderland player to be substituted, when he was injured early in the second half of the visit to Aston Villa and replaced by Allan Gauden. He started in two-thirds of Sunderland's league matches, scored once,

Huddersfield Town Hellawell signed for Second Division club Huddersfield Town on 22 September 1966 for a fee "believed to be in the region of £20,000". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner football correspondent, Longfellow, had not seen him play, but had heard "he's fast, fearless and aggressive. He's a fighter and a 100 per center, so I'm told, and on that score alone he will do for me." As a youth, Hellawell had played for Huddersfield's junior teams but been told he was too frail for professional football. He started every game until mid-April 1967, when a throat infection kept him out, and finished the season with one goal from 32 appearances.

An ankle injury in pre-season caused Hellawell to miss the first month of the 1967–68 season, and he was unable to establish himself in the League side thereafter. He played in the team's run to the semi-finals of the League Cup, and assisted goals for Colin Dobson in the first leg and for Tony Leighton in the second, but opponents Arsenal won 6–3 on aggregate to progress to the final. By late February 1968, when he was injured early in a match against Plymouth Argyle, he had made only 14 league appearances. When he regained fitness, he was used in the reserves, and when senior coach Ian Greaves took over as manager in June, Hellawell remained out of favour.

Later career At the end of November 1968, Hellawell signed for Fourth Division club Peterborough United for a £4,000 fee. He played two competitive matches before the manager who signed him, Norman Rigby, was replaced by Jim Iley as player-manager. According to Hellawell in his autobiography, Iley told him "he had no time for wingers", and Hellawell finished the season with nine appearances.

Although Hellawell had no intention of retiring from league football when he left Peterborough at the end of the season, he had bought a newsagent's shop in Keighley, so was reluctant to accept offers from clubs too far from home. His former manager at Birmingham, Gil Merrick, offered him a contract with West Midlands League club Bromsgrove Rovers, with permission to train at Keighley and drive down for matches on Saturdays and on the understanding that if a suitable league club made him an offer, he would be free to leave. Hellawell took up Merrick's offerhis brother John joined him at Bromsgrove a month later and both ended up spending three years with the club.

International career Whilst with Birmingham City, Hellawell won his two full caps for England, against France and Northern Ireland in 1962.

Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

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1955–56

1970–71 and for Warwickshire, for whom he played one first-class match.

Personal life Hellawell was born in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire. After leaving school he worked as a colour-matcher in a textile mill. He was called up for National Service in 1957 and served with the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Hellawell was married to Brenda for 60 years, and was an active Christian. He published an autobiography, The Impossible is Possible, in late 2020.

Hellawell died in Keighley on 18 July 2023 at age 85.

Honours Birmingham City Football League Cup: 1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup runner-up: 1960–61