Arthur Peat

Real Name: William Arthur Peat
Born: 01/09/1940 (Walton, Liverpool)
Died: 16/07/2012 (Southport)

What can one say about Arthur Peat? To those of us lucky enough to have been around in the 1960s when the fortunes of Southport Football club took a sudden and entirely unexpected turn for the better – the better, in fact, bordering on the miraculous – there is little more that can be said; to those who have come to the club later one can only trust that ones words will not be taken with a pinch of salt, the distance lends enchantment syndrome.

Things were not always better in those far off days. Indeed things in the late 1950s at Haig Avenue had scarcely been much worse. The turning point came, indirectly, with the abolition of the maximum wage, hardly an issue to a breadline club like Southport, but an issue which forced a lot of the bigger League clubs to trim down their vast playing staffs by unloading some of their still promising younger players who, they reckoned, were not quite going to make the grade at the highest level.

Southport had already benefited by picking up young Everton cast-offs like Jimmy Blain, Bryan Griffiths and Johnny Fielding but the major coup came when, in the July of 1961, Southport manager Lem Newcomb signed the twenty year old Everton reserve defender Arthur Peat, initially as a part-timer while he completed his plumbing apprenticeship. With the right-half berth still firmly in the possession of club captain Jack Hannaway, Arthur started in the reserves and in only his second game had his leg broken just above the ankle at New Brighton.

The fighting spirit for which he was to become renowned saw him back playing again before Christmas and making his League debut, at outside-right, in a game at Colchester United on February 10 th . That was to be the first of 401 Football League appearances for the Sandgrounders, a record never to be surpassed.

Suffice it to say that, within a couple of seasons, Peat had made the Number 4 shirt his own, going through two campaigns – 1967-68 and 1969-70 – without missing a single match. During this time what had begun under Newcomb as a good footballing if none too successful side combining older and younger players was transformed in the middle of the decade into a compact fighting unit by the arrival of coach, later manager, Billy Bingham.

It has been well documented that Arthur Peat did not always see eye to eye with Bingham, particularly on the latters rigorous training regimes which involved running up and down the sandhills by the shore. Nor did he particularly relish the newly created sweeper role to which Bingham converted him; Arthur had always enjoyed being an attacking wing-half, as his tally of 27 League goals duly testifies. However he played the role to perfection and was a key player in the defence which saw Southport storm through to the Fifth Round of the F.A.Cup in Binghams first season (1965-66) and then to promotion – the clubs first ever such achievement in the Football League – in his second a year later.

There were other key players who had a part in these successes of course but ask any of them what Peats contribution to the side was in terms of technique, effort, guts and determination and youll get the same answer from Alex Russell, Alan Spence, Colin Alty, Eric Redrobe and all the rest – just invaluable. On the odd occasion his commitment to the cause got the better of him and he found himself sent off in a game against Barrow (along with their Jim Mallon) on one very wet Friday night at Haig Avenue , an occurrence which some people seem to have overlooked! In those more enlightened times the dismissal was regarded as punishment enough and no suspension resulted.

In due course he went on to be an inspiring club captain and even, halfway through the troubled season of 1969-70, player-manager, as the Port battled – unsuccessfully as it turned out – to avoid the drop back to Division IV. He commanded tremendous respect from his players during this spell and brought the best out of all of them, not least Tony Field who responded with a hat-trick and then a four goal return in consecutive home games to boost the Peat renaissance.

Replaced as manager by firstly Alex Parker and then Jimmy Meadows he loyally stayed on for two more seasons, though the arrival of John McPhee as captain and right-half dislodged him from his familiar position. Much to his chagrin he was released in the summer of 1972 and so just missed out on Southports one and only (to date) Football League Championship in 1972-73. What a fitting climax that would have been to a wonderful career at Haig Avenue .

Two seasons with Crewe Alexandra followed before Arthur finally hung up his boots as a professional. Also a cricketer with Fleetwood Hesketh, he had remained a Southport resident and initially resumed his trade as a plumber for a number of years before branching out into the world of catering, taking a pub in Rochdale for a time before becoming steward at the Park Golf Club on the Promenade.

In later years Southport F.C. granted him a life vice presidency but, for one reason or another, the role was never satisfactorily fulfilled. Yet he took his place as one of only seven players appointed to the Southport F.C. Wall of Fame and he remained a familiar figure around the town, invariably in the company of Ellie, his wife of over forty years. In the pantheon of Southport footballers Arthur, despite not being the tallest of men, stands out as a giant. Nobody has given such unwavering, wholehearted service at such a level of ability over so many years. It has been a privilege to view many of his fine performances, revel in his achievements for the club and admire his dedication. Not all clubs have had an Arthur Peat. Just for once, Southport have been lucky. *** This is the full transcript of the article Geoff Wilde & Mike Braham submitted to the Southport Visiter.

Manager Profile:

Arthur Peat, who played in his 307th Football League game for Southport on January 17th, 1970, was the board’s surprise choice to inherit the job of attempting to save the club from relegation from the Third Division. Southport’s senior professional and captain, he was initially appointed trainer-coach but a fortnight later he became player-manager. Already acknowledged to be one of the best servants the club ever had, he had created a favourable impression when given charge of the reserves in September 1969.
His appointment inspired the team and morale improved so much that Southport appeared to have pulled clear of the danger area with five consecutive home wins; then, quite inexplicably, they cracked and took only seven points from their last eleven games. After monopolising the crucial encounter with fellow strugglers Gillingham, they allowed the Gills to equalise with a goal which, in the final analysis, kept them up and sent Southport down. This result ultimately spelt the end for Peat’s brief reign as manager; on April 28th he resigned, although he was retained as a player for a further two seasons. He went on to complete 401 League appearances for the club before joining Crewe Alexandra.

Profile reproduced with Permission from:
The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport F. C., by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde (Palatine Books, 1995). ISBN 978-1-874181-14-9

Season: 1965/1966 [Back to Player Stats]
The player made an appearance in the following games:
Date Home Club Away Club Score Goals Competition Round
21/08/1965 Hartlepools United Southport 3 - 1 0 Football League D4 21/08/1965
23/08/1965 Southport Barrow 1 - 1 0 Football League D4 23/08/1965
28/08/1965 Southport Doncaster Rovers 2 - 1 0 Football League D4 28/08/1965
01/09/1965 Crewe Alexandra Southport 2 - 0 0 Football League Cup 1 01/09/1965
04/09/1965 Notts County Southport 1 - 2 0 Football League D4 04/09/1965
11/09/1965 Wrexham Southport 3 - 1 0 Football League D4 11/09/1965
13/09/1965 Barrow Southport 3 - 3 0 Football League D4 13/09/1965
17/09/1965 Southport Bradford ( Park Avenue ) 2 - 1 0 Football League D4 17/09/1965
22/09/1965 Torquay United Southport 1 - 1 0 Football League D4 22/09/1965
25/09/1965 Aldershot Southport 3 - 0 0 Football League D4 25/09/1965
02/10/1965 Southport Newport County 2 - 0 0 Football League D4 02/10/1965
05/10/1965 Rochdale Southport 3 - 0 0 Football League D4 05/10/1965
08/10/1965 Southport Darlington 1 - 1 0 Football League D4 08/10/1965
15/10/1965 Stockport County Southport 2 - 2 0 Football League D4 15/10/1965
23/10/1965 Southport Tranmere Rovers 1 - 1 0 Football League D4 23/10/1965
25/10/1965 Southport Blackpool 1 - 3 0 Lancashire Senior Cup 1 25/10/1965
30/10/1965 Colchester United Southport 0 - 0 0 Football League D4 30/10/1965
13/11/1965 Southport Halifax Town 2 - 0 0 FA Cup 1 13/11/1965
20/11/1965 Southport Crewe Alexandra 1 - 1 0 Football League D4 20/11/1965
22/11/1965 Southport Rochdale 4 - 0 0 Football League D4 22/11/1965
27/11/1965 Port Vale Southport 4 - 1 0 Football League D4 27/11/1965
04/12/1965 Southport Stockport County 3 - 3 0 FA Cup 2 04/12/1965
11/12/1965 Chester Southport 1 - 0 0 Football League D4 11/12/1965
13/12/1965 Stockport County Southport 0 - 2 0 FA Cup 2 Replay 13/12/1965
17/12/1965 Southport Stockport County 2 - 0 0 Football League D4 17/12/1965
27/12/1965 Southport Luton Town 3 - 2 0 Football League D4 27/12/1965
28/12/1965 Luton Town Southport 2 - 0 0 Football League D4 28/12/1965
01/01/1966 Darlington Southport 2 - 0 0 Football League D4 01/01/1966
08/01/1966 Southport Bradford City 4 - 0 0 Football League D4 08/01/1966
14/01/1966 Tranmere Rovers Southport 0 - 2 0 Football League D4 14/01/1966
22/01/1966 Southport Ipswich Town 0 - 0 0 FA Cup 3 22/01/1966
25/01/1966 Ipswich Town Southport 2 - 3 0 FA Cup 3 Replay 25/01/1966
29/01/1966 Southport Hartlepools United 4 - 1 0 Football League D4 29/01/1966
05/02/1966 Doncaster Rovers Southport 1 - 1 0 Football League D4 05/02/1966
12/02/1966 Southport Cardiff City 2 - 0 0 FA Cup 4 12/02/1966
28/02/1966 Southport Wrexham 2 - 2 0 Football League D4 28/02/1966
05/03/1966 Hull City Southport 2 - 0 0 FA Cup 5 05/03/1966
12/03/1966 Bradford ( Park Avenue ) Southport 2 - 1 0 Football League D4 12/03/1966
18/03/1966 Southport Aldershot 0 - 2 0 Football League D4 18/03/1966
21/03/1966 Southport Chesterfield 1 - 0 0 Football League D4 21/03/1966
25/03/1966 Newport County Southport 1 - 1 0 Football League D4 25/03/1966
04/04/1966 Southport Barnsley 3 - 1 0 Football League D4 04/04/1966
08/04/1966 Lincoln City Southport 4 - 0 0 Football League D4 08/04/1966
09/04/1966 Southport Halifax Town 1 - 0 0 Football League D4 09/04/1966
11/04/1966 Southport Lincoln City 5 - 1 0 Football League D4 11/04/1966
15/04/1966 Crewe Alexandra Southport 2 - 1 0 Football League D4 15/04/1966
20/04/1966 Bradford City Southport 3 - 0 0 Football League D4 20/04/1966
23/04/1966 Southport Port Vale 2 - 1 0 Football League D4 23/04/1966
25/04/1966 Southport Torquay United 3 - 3 0 Football League D4 25/04/1966
29/04/1966 Halifax Town Southport 1 - 2 0 Football League D4 29/04/1966
02/05/1966 Chesterfield Southport 3 - 2 0 Football League D4 02/05/1966
07/05/1966 Southport Chester 2 - 0 0 Football League D4 07/05/1966
10/05/1966 Southport Colchester United 0 - 1 0 Football League D4 10/05/1966
13/05/1966 Barnsley Southport 4 - 0 0 Football League D4 13/05/1966


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