Vic Keeble

Victor Albert Williams Keeble (25 June 1930 – 29 January 2018) was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward for Colchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United.

Early life Victor Albert Williams Keeble was born 25 June 1930 to Victor Keeble (1907-1977) and Minnie Rose Warner. Keeble attended Colchester Royal Grammar School, where his preferred sport was rugby, playing as a stand-off half. He played football with Arsenal as a schoolboy and locally for King George V Boys Club and Colchester Casuals.

Career Colchester United Keeble was signed as an amateur for hometown club Colchester United by future West Ham United manager Ted Fenton in May 1947, a few weeks short of his 17th birthday.

He scored 59 goals in 69 Southern League appearances for Colchester United, and went on to score a further 23 goals in 46 Football League appearances after the club were elected to the Third Division South for the first time. However, Keeble's move to Newcastle coincided with his National Service with the Army, and long periods away impeded his progress.

Keeble's first full season at Newcastle began with a 4–2 loss in the Charity Shield against Manchester United. He scored both goals for the Magpies. The 1952–53 season continued with 6 goals in 17 First Division appearances, and he managed 6 in 11 the following season. The competition had seen Keeble score five goals in preceding rounds, and he wore Jackie Milburn's number 9 shirt in the Final (Milburn wore number 8).

An injury in 1956–57 saw Keeble lose his place in the team to Len White and the following season he played mainly for the reserve team.

West Ham United Signed again by Fenton, Keeble moved to Upton Park in October 1957 for £10,000, joining a West Ham side that had earned 12 points from their first 12 Second Division games of 1957–58, with inside-forward John Dick yet to score in the League. They went on to form a partnership that produced a combined 40 goals. Keeble finished the season with 19 League goals in 29 games, which, along with Dick's 21, contributed to a first-place finish and promotion to the First Division.

Keeble had made his debut for the Irons in a friendly fixture, a testimonial for Dick Walker against Sparta Rotterdam. He scored the first goal in a game that saw Dick score a hat-trick. He scored on his League debut, against Doncaster Rovers on 19 October 1957, and scored the first of three hat-tricks for West Ham on 16 November, against Stoke City. His partnership with Dick would yield 20 goals by Christmas Day and see the Hammers placed third in the league table. Consistent goalscoring from both players continued into the second half of the season, culminating in a crucial final game, against Middlesbrough, that saw the pair both cap their title-winning season with goals.

The 1958–59 campaign saw Keeble score 21 top-flight goals, including four in a 6–3 win over Blackburn Rovers, even though he had missed the final two months of the season due to injury. West Ham finished sixth, at that point the club's highest ever finish.

In April 1959, Keeble and teammate Malcolm Musgrove played for a Football Combination representative side against a Select Dutch XI in Amsterdam.

After football After retirement, Keeble moved back to north Essex and worked as a football reporter.

He later returned to Colchester United as commercial manager.

His son, Chris Keeble, also played professionally for Colchester United.

He died in January 2018, at the age of 87, by which time he was the last surviving member of Newcastle's FA Cup winning sides of the 1950s.

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

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals

1947–48 Southern League

9 1948–49 Southern League

1949–50 Southern League 45 43 1 0 5 Third Division South 21 7

21 7 1951–52 Third Division South 25 16 3 1

28 17

115!!82!!4!!1!!11!!6!!130!!89

2 20 10 1953–54 First Division 11 6 1 1

12 7 1954–55 First Division 19 10 9 5

28 15 1955–56 First Division 32 26 4 3

36 29 1956–57 First Division 14 4

14 4 1957–58 First Division 6 1

6 1

104 56 16 11 1 2 121 69

1958–59 First Division

Southern Football League Cup: 1949–50; runner-up: 1947–48, 1948–49 Southern Football League runner-up: 1949–50

Newcastle United FA Cup: 1954–55

West Ham United Football League Second Division: 1957–58

Individual Colchester United Hall of Fame inductee: 2007–08