Star player in qualifying: Olivier Giroud scored six times for France, once again proving his often doubted credentials as one of the world's top centre forwards.
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The Dutchman tells tales of the three going out drag racing on the outskirts of Amsterdam ("Zlatan had a Mercedes, Mido alternated between a Ferrari and a BMW Z"), and the two centre-forwards seemed fully intent on enjoying all the frills their profession had to offer.
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However Zigoni was dropped out from the squad for the elite round and the final tournament as the team already had Mattia Destro, Fabio Borini and Nicolao Dumitru as centre forwards.
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"7" is often associated with effective and profitable wingers or second strikers. "9" is usually worn by centre forwards or strikers, who hold the most advanced offensive positions on the pitch, and are often the highest scorers in the team.
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King of the Centre Forwards (German:Der König der Mittelstürmer) is a 1927 German silent sports films directed by Fritz Freisler and starring Paul Richter, Fritz Alberti and Colette Brettel.Kaes p.254 The film's sets were designed by Bruno Lutz and Franz Seemann.
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James Hampson (23 March 1906 – 10 January 1938) was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven seasons at Blackpool, where he remains record goalscorer with 252 goals in 373 games, and is still regarded as one of the best centre forwards to play for the club.
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However, Sophus Nielsen and Lundberg later became friends, and shared the same tactical outlook on the attacking game. Nielsen would have deployed the wingers in a more defensive role, while having two centre- forwards (anticipating the later 4-2-4 formation), but this was blocked by the rest of the Danish national team committee.
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After a great start the team slowly drifted down the table, trying to offset this Charlton brought in tall centre forwards George Reilly and Tony Cunningham and changed to a long ball style. Although never in danger of being relegated throughout the season, the team ended the season three points above the relegation zone.
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Standing 6 ft 2 in tall and weighing 12 st 4 lbs, Ritchie was christened 'Big' John Ritchie by Stoke supporters. He was one of a dying breed of direct and fast centre forwards in the mould of a Freddie Steele, Tommy Lawton and Nat Lofthouse, Ritchie used his burly frame to good effect, shrugging of defenders with ease.
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Minihan was born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, and attended Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School. Minihan grew up in Norden with his mum, dad and sister. His father, John Minihan, played in defensive midfield for CCK Sofia alongside the legendary midfielders Bradov, Kenneth Yon & defenders Travic, Milko, Buttrov & Nozzokov, winger Al Walkov and centre forwards Hoad & Simeone winning 3 trophies.
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Byrne is the only player to be capped for Ireland while playing for Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne. He was surprisingly small (5 feet 5 inches in height) in an era of big centre forwards, yet he was a prolific goalscorer. He was fast, effective in the air as well as on the ground, and forced goalkeepers to make mistakes.
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Wright was named on the bench for Arsenal and Ray Parlour was positioned alongside Vieira in central midfield. Both teams lined up in a 4–4–2 formation: a four-man defence (comprising two centre-backs and left and right full-backs), four midfielders (two in the centre, and one on each wing) and two centre-forwards.
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Most modern centre-forwards operate in front of the second strikers or central attacking midfielders, and do the majority of the ball handling outside the box. The present role of centre-forward is sometimes interchangeable with that of an attacking midfielder, especially in the 4–3–1–2 or 4–1–2–1–2 formations. The term centre-forward is taken from the early football playing formation in which there were five forward players: two outside forwards, two inside forwards, and one centre-forward. When numbers were introduced in the 1933 English FA Cup final, one of the two centre-forwards that day wore the number 9 – Everton's Dixie Dean, a strong, powerful forward who had set the record for the most goals scored in a season in English football during the 1927–28 season.
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The role is unique to centre forwards. ;Goal poacher : Goal poachers are forwards who wait in the six-yard box or the penalty area for a cross, pass or loose ball and pounce to try to score a goal. Their "poaching" refers to the fact that they will often score a goal out of the slightest of opportunities i.e. steal a goal.
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The team was knocked out in the First Round of the FA Cup after losing 0-3 at home to Crewe Alexandra. Nelson used a total of 29 different players, 5 of whom made just a single appearance during the season. The top goalscorers in the 1929-30 campaign were centre forwards Tom Carmedy and Ernie Dixon, who each netted 10 goals.
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He spent the remainder of his Durham career as a reserve and occasional first- team stand-in. The last of his 10 senior appearances was as one of three different centre forwards tried at the beginning of the 1923–24 season before the arrival of Tom Elliott from Brentford filled the vacancy. In August 1924, Harrison joined another Third Division North club, Darlington, and finally turned professional in November.
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Finally Tapan keeps his promise and creates the National Hockey team, taking players from several regions. Among them are Thakur Raghubir Pratap Singh (Amit Sadh) and Himmat Singh (Sunny Kaushal), a pair of talented centre forwards from Central India and Punjab. Meanwhile India gets Independence, but is also partitioned into India and Pakistan. During a riot, Imtiaz gets injured when some Hindus tried to burn him alive, but is saved by Tapan and Himmat.
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Declan O'Sullivan (born 18 December 1983) is an Irish former sportsperson. He last played Gaelic football with his local club Dromid Pearses, his divisional side South Kerry and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team since from 2003 until his retirement in 2014. O'Sullivan captained Kerry to back-to- back All-Ireland titles in 2006 and 2007. He is regarded as one of the all- time great centre forwards.
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However, the arrival of Ted Drake in the summer of 1934 saw Dunne lose his place in the Arsenal first team, and he would only play another 8 games over the next two seasons. Dunne was dubbed "the most expensive reserve player in English football" in the press, although his Arsenal colleagues clearly recognised his talents, with Cliff Bastin remarking he was "one of the best five centre forwards I had ever seen".
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The match took place on a warm spring evening with the kick-off delayed because many Arsenal supporters were caught in traffic congestion. The Arsenal players presented flowers to fans in different parts of the ground in memory of those who had died in the Hillsborough disaster. Liverpool lined up in a traditional 4–4–2 formation: a four-man defence, four midfielders and two centre forwards. Arsenal adopted a 5–4–1 formation with David O'Leary in the unusual role of sweeper.
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Manchester United were predicted to line up in a 4–4–1–1 formation, with Wayne Rooney positioned just behind Van Nistelrooy. Club captain Roy Keane was doubtful as he was recuperating from a virus which prevented him from training all week. Quinton Fortune and Ole Gunnar Solskjær were both ruled out with knee injuries. Arsenal were expected to line up slightly different to Manchester United, with Thierry Henry and José Antonio Reyes as the two centre-forwards in a traditional 4–4–2 formation.
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At and just Wilkinson had a slightly sullen look, with heavy eyebrows and a balding pate and would often walk around his penalty area nervously pulling up his woollen gloves. Although he did not inspire confidence he proved to be a fine shot stopper. His main weakness was a penchant for dropping crosses when under pressure from centre forwards. He remained first choice until World War II when he returned to the north east and guested for Hull City, Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and Doncaster Rovers.
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Bowers was subject to a knee injury in November of the 1934–35 season which ruled him out for three months, leading Jobey to buy Hughie Gallacher for £2,750 from Chelsea. Gallagher, one of the all-time great centre forwards, hit 23 goals in just 27 games, including all 5 in a 5–2 victory over Blackburn, as Derby finished 6th. There was also a 9–3 home victory over West Bromwich Albion on 8 December, which saw Derby equal their highest ever league scorer.
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Durrant joined Third Division South club Queens Park Rangers in late September 1946, for a then-record £4,500 fee. With the club's regular centre forwards away on army duty, Durrant was signed to bolster the high-flying club's frontline. Denied promotion with a second-place finish during the 1946–47 season, Durrant finally won the first silverware of his career when Rangers won the 1947–48 Third Division South championship. Durrant departed Loftus Road in February 1949 and scored 26 goals in 53 appearances for the club.
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England manager Phil Neville said of the call-up, "She's playing in a team full of confidence and every time I see her play, she's added a little bit to the game. Without doubt she, along with Ellen White, are the best two centre-forwards in England on form and she deserves her place in the squad." England made two appearances during the tournament and the team finished third. She picked up an ankle injury during training that preventer her from playing in the team's final match.
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Goal poachers usually play as centre forwards or second strikers. ;False nine : A false nine is a player who appears to be playing as a centre-forward (traditionally in a number nine shirt), but drops deep or pulls wide disrupting the opposing team's marking. Usually the centre- forward will be marked by one of the centre-backs but the false nine will often move away into a neutral area causing a dilemma as to whether the centre-back follows (isolating himself from the other centre-back) or stays where he is, making himself redundant.
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Colin Barrett, The City Ground Barrett later said of Clough, "His man-management was quite straightforward. He said: "If I thought you could play you would be in midfield so you are a full-back. When you get the ball you give it to that fella on the wing because he can play." He expected his defenders to defend, his centre-forwards to score goals and his midfielders to create." At the end of the 1976-77 Football League Second Division Forest were promoted to the top flight.
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The historic central half-back position gradually retreated from the midfield line to provide increased protection to the back–line against centre-forwards – that dedicated defensive role in the centre is still commonly referred to as a "centre-half" as a legacy of its origins. In Italian football jargon, this position was known as the centromediano metodista or metodista, although this term was later also applied to describe players who operated in a central holding-midfielder role, but who also had creative responsibilities in addition to defensive duties.
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Jimmy J. Moreton (22 September 1891 – August 1942) was a football player and manager. He joined Tranmere Rovers from Cammell Laird in July 1910. He was switched from right-half to outside right, where he set up countless goals for a succession of Tranmere centre forwards, including Dixie Dean, in almost 500 appearances at the club. Upon retirement, aged 37, Moreton became trainer alongside manager Bert Cooke, before taking over as manager himself, from 1939, during World War II. He died in 1942, and was succeeded by another former player, Bill Ridding.
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Obrey played for Longton before joining Port Vale as an amateur in May 1936, signing as a professional in October of that year. He made his debut in October 1936 and his first game was the first of a thirteen-game unbeaten run for the club, the first nine of which Obrey helped prevent the opposing centre-forwards from scoring any goals. He scored his first senior goal against York City on 13 February 1937, in a 2–1 victory at Bootham Crescent. He finished the 1936–37 season with 33 appearances to his name.
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Both clubs were set up in a traditional 4–4–2 system: a four-man defence (comprising two centre-backs and left and right full-backs), four midfielders (two in the centre, and one on each wing) and two centre- forwards. Newcastle kicked-off the final on a warm Saturday afternoon and quickly set about testing Arsenal by aiming long balls in their half. Arsenal won many of the aerial duels and broke quickly once they had possession.Motson, Brooking (1998). Event occurs in the first half, coverage between 10:54pm and 10:56pm.
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During Kay's five seasons at The Dell, Southampton languished in Division 2, finishing each season in the lower half of the table and being eliminated from the FA Cup each year in the early stages. He started his Southampton career brightly with an opening day victory over Burnley on 29 August 1931 and by mid-September they topped the division. Such form could not last, however, and injuries soon resulted in the club sliding down the table. Kay was unable to field a settled side and used 30 different players during the season, including six different centre forwards.
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Stanley Howard Shoveller (2 September 1881 – 24 February 1959) was a field hockey player, who won a gold medal with the England team at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Twelve years later, when Antwerp hosted the 1920 Summer Olympics, he once again won the gold medal with the Great Britain and Ireland squad, at age 39. Shoveller played his club hockey for Hampstead & Westminster. He was known as "the Prince of centre forwards" and "the immortal centre" for his prolific goal scoring - it's been estimated to be 'well over 500', remarkable in an era of 4-2-3-1 and sweepers.
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Both clubs lined up in a traditional 4–4–2 formation: a four-man defence (comprising two centre-backs and left and right full-backs), four midfielders (two in the centre, and one on each wing) and two centre forwards. Wenger opted to pair Gilles Grimandi with Vieira in midfield and Wiltord up front with Henry, leaving Bergkamp on the substitutes' bench. Ashley Cole played in defence, ahead of Sylvinho, who did not feature in the matchday squad. For Liverpool, Houllier named Owen in the starting line-up, and chose Šmicer and Murphy to play in midfield.
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The attendance numbered about sixty, and most of them took a lively interest in the game. The Queen's Park team comprised the following players: Brooks, Wearne (backs); Pywell, Copp (half-backs), Pearson, Holland (centre forwards), Bell, Allison (left wing), Sharp, Princeps (captain, right wing), J. Wharrie (goal).Brisbane Courier 7 June 1884 St Andrew's was captained by R. Wylie and included McCreadie, Menzies, Kyle, Currie and Angus [the rest of their team is not recorded]. Despite the "good play" of Princeps, Holland, Wearne and Allison for Queen’s Park, the Saints overwhelmed them 7-0 (with two early goals by McCreadie).
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Hill and Preece came back into the side in midfield, and Brian Stein played behind Harford and Kingsley Black. As expected for Arsenal, Graham paired Caesar with Adams in central defence, and Davis returned to the first eleven after his short illness. Up front, Smith was positioned alongside Groves. Harford set his team up in a 4–3–3 formation, whereas Graham went for the traditional 4–4–2 system: a four-man defence (comprising two centre backs and left and right full-backs), four midfielders (two in the centre, and one on each wing) and two centre forwards.
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Franco Fragapane completed a move in from Unión Santa Fe on 30 June. Numerous loans from the previous campaign officially expired on and around 30 June. Nicolás Giménez departed to Arsenal de Sarandí on 1 July. Soon after, centre-forwards Catriel Sánchez and Marcos Arturia joined Maciel and Moyano on loan with Villa Dálmine of tier two. Back- to-back friendlies were set with General Paz Juniors for 3 July, as Talleres came out with respective 2–0 and 3–0 victories at the Estadio La Boutique; with Uruguayan centre-forward Junior Arias scoring in the former, ahead of a potential return to the club.
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To replace Potter, Derby tempted former Wolves manager George Jobey out of retirement. Jobey had retired to run a hotel in 1924 after winning the Third Division North with Wolves, but was tempted back into football by the Rams. Jobey imposed firm discipline at the club and earned them promotion in his first season at the club, a feat not emulated for another 70 years. Jobey always displayed a hunger for talented centre forwards, and the key signing was England International Harry Bedford, at a cost of £3,250, from Blackpool, who scored 27 goals as the Rams finished runners up to Sheffield Wednesday in the 1925–26 Second Division table.
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The "Saints" paid a then club record of £1000 to bring Weale to The Dell having been watching him for some time. He immediately replaced Bert Jepson in the No. 7 shirt and made his debut on 8 December 1928 in a 1–1 draw at Clapton Orient. A "fast, clever right winger", he made a promising start to his Southampton career, and scored a hat trick in a 4–0 victory over Notts County on Boxing Day, following this with goals in the next two matches. His crosses helped the centre-forwards, Willie Haines (in 1928–29) and Dick Rowley (in 1929–30) to score 16 and 25 goals respectively.
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During this period, Ipswich finished third in the First Division, with Mariner contributing ten goals from 28 games. Mariner's third England cap came in the return World Cup qualifier in Luxembourg, scoring a last-minute goal in a 2–0 win which England really needed to win by much more in order to give themselves half a chance of qualifying for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. By now, Mariner had become one of a number of 'target man'-type centre forwards for England coach Ron Greenwood to select from, with Stuart Pearson and Bob Latchford also on the scene. It was Mariner, however, who would be selected the majority of the time.
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Yakubu was transferred to Everton in August 2007 for a fee of £11.25 million on a five- year contract, which was at the time the most the club had ever paid for a player. Shunning the traditional centre-forwards' number 9, Yakubu asked to be assigned number 22, setting this number as a goal-scoring target for his first season, a feat he fell one goal short of achieving. He scored 11 minutes into his debut for the club, the first goal in a 2–1 win against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium in September 2007. His first hat-trick for the club came against Fulham in a 3–0 home league win in December 2007.
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Centre-back John Terry (26, blue) closely marks centre-forward Didier Drogba A centre-back (also known as a central defender or centre-half, as the modern role of the centre-back arose from the centre-half position) defends in the area directly in front of the goal and tries to prevent opposing players, particularly centre-forwards, from scoring. Centre-backs accomplish this by blocking shots, tackling, intercepting passes, contesting headers and marking forwards to discourage the opposing team from passing to them. 4–4–2 formation uses two centre-backs. With the ball, centre-backs are generally expected to make long and pinpoint passes to their teammates, or to kick unaimed long balls down the field.
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Fraser was born in Cowpen, near Blyth, Northumberland and played for Blyth Spartans as a junior. He then had a spell in the Army, with the Royal Tank Corps before starting his professional career with Northampton Town in November 1926. He spent two seasons with Northampton Town in the Third Division South, making 17 league appearances generally on the right wing, scoring four goals as well as providing scoring chances for centre forwards Ernie Cockle and Harry Loasby. He signed for Aldershot, then in the Southern League, in May 1929 but before he made any first team appearances he was transferred to Second Division Southampton in June for a fee of £200.
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He scored one goal the following season as Coventry again finished third from bottom, this time one point above Leicester City. Of manager Noel Cantwell, Hannigan later said: "Cantwell was a nice guy but I used to argue with him all the time about the way he wanted me to play. I was a winger who wanted to take players on, but he wanted my first touch to be a cross into the box to aim for Tony Hateley and Neil Martin who were our two big centre-forwards." Hannigan joined Torquay United on loan in December 1969, playing in the draws at home to Reading and Bournemouth, that month before returning to Coventry.
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Fred Forman made his debut for Nottingham Forest in the United Counties League on 15 February 1894 in the 3–1 victory against Sheffield United at the Town Ground. His league debut was next season on 22 September 1894 against Everton also at the Town Ground. He soon became an established player on the wings for Forest, putting in the crosses for centre-forwards Tom McInnes and Charlie Richards, contributing a handful of goals each season as Forest finished each season in mid-table. Illness and injury restricted his appearances in 1897–98 and he played no part in Forest's FA Cup success in which they defeated Forman's former club, Derby County in the final 3–1.
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On 26 September 1957, Charlie Hurley arrived at Roker Park to begin a career that would span 12 seasons and 402 appearances. Hurley's Sunderland career had a disastrous start; a 7–0 rout by Blackpool, coupled with him scoring an own goal on his debut, which was quickly followed by a 6–0 defeat by Burnley. Hurley had been unfortunate enough to have competed against centre forwards who would later go on to represent England. In Ray Charnley and Ray Pointer, Blackpool and Burnley had strikers of the highest quality. Matters improved and eventually promotion was achieved in the 1963/64 season after two campaigns which had seen Sunderland miss out on top flight football due to consecutive last day failures against Swansea Town and Chelsea.
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Because Östers' had a surplus of centre forwards at the time, they chose not to extend his contract any further and instead loaned Anatolij Ponomarev from GAIS. In 2007, he was on trial in FK Bodø/Glimt where he played one game against Leknes FK. He scored the last goal in the 8–1 win. After a short stint playing indoor soccer with the New Jersey Ironmen, Johnson signed with San Jose Earthquakes for the 2008 MLS season. At the end of the 2009 MLS season, Johnson was named team MVP as the team's leading goalscorer. On 14 July 2011, San Jose traded Johnson, an international roster spot, and allocation money to Toronto FC for Nana Attakora, Alan Gordon and Jacob Peterson.
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Manchester United winger Jesper Blomqvist was ruled out with an ankle injury, but Roy Keane was fit enough to start his first competitive match since damaging his ligaments eleven months previously. Defender Jaap Stam, who signed for United in May 1998, made his competitive debut for the club, partnering centre-back Ronny Johnsen. For Arsenal, new signing Nelson Vivas began the match on the substitutes' bench, in spite of being expected to make his full debut, while Dennis Bergkamp started alongside Nicolas Anelka up front. Arsenal employed a traditional 4–4–2 formation: a four-man defence (comprising two centre-backs and left and right full-backs), four midfielders (two in the centre, and one on each wing) and two centre-forwards.
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Incidentally, Torquay were excused from this season's FA Cup as the additional qualifying rounds which had already been allocated to them before their election would have caused a significant disruption to their League fixtures. Notable players during Torquay's first League season included the aforementioned Turner (top scorer with 11 goals), outside right Jim Mackey who played in all but two games and goalkeeper Archie Bayes who, despite missing out on the debut match against Exeter City, played a total of 37 games during the season. Significant contributions were also made by centre forwards Bob Ringland (9 goals in 14 appearances) and Lew Griffiths (8 goals in 12 appearances). However, of these players, only Mackey would still be lining up for Torquay during the following season.
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By the time of his retirement, Smith was perhaps the most admired figure in the English game, familiarly known to several generations of schoolboys simply by his initials at a time when only one other sportsman – the cricketer W.G. Grace – was so recognised. Despite the emergence of later, equally capable centre forwards in a more recognisably modern mould – most notably Vivian Woodward, Smith's successor in the England team – his abilities were recalled and praised well into the 1940s. The International Federation of Football History & Statistics, a scholarly group based in Wiesbaden, describes him as "the most brilliant, indeed perfect, footballer in the world around the turn of the century". "G.O." was, according to contemporaries, unusually popular among professional footballers who were generally wary of the leading amateurs.
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Second strikers tend not to be as tall or as physically imposing as a centre forward. They are required to be more "nippy", quick, mobile, and skillful, helping to create goals and scoring opportunities for centre forwards, utilising spaces created in the opposition's defence to provide passes to the strikers, picking up loose balls around the area, or attempting to dribble with the ball and score themselves. The position was initially developed by the famous Hungary national team of the late 1940s and mid-1950s led by Ferenc Puskás. Later, it was popularised in Italian football as the trequartista ("three-quarters") or fantasista, the advanced playmaker who plays neither in midfield nor as a forward, but effectively pulls the strings for his team's attack, and serves as an assist provider.
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Many players in this position can play in a free role, as an attacking midfielder or sometimes on the wing. The position has also been known as the number 10 role, as many players who played in this position wore the number 10 jersey. Whatever the terminology, the position itself is a loosely defined one, a player who lies somewhere between the out-and-out striker and the midfield, who can perform this role effectively due to their vision, technical skills, creativity, and passing ability. Such a player is either a skillful, attack- minded midfielder or a creative striker who can both score and create opportunities for centre forwards, although a support striker will often not be involved in build-up plays as much as an attacking midfielder.
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Barcelona's Lionel Messi has been a proponent of the false 9 position to much success in recent years. The false 9, in some ways similar to a more advanced attacking midfielder/playmaker role, is an unconventional lone striker or centre-forward, who drops deep into midfield. The purpose of this is that it creates a problem for opposing centre-backs who can either follow the false 9, leaving space behind them for onrushing midfielders, forwards or wingers to exploit, or leaving the false 9 to have time and space to dribble or pick out a pass. The term comes from the traditional number for centre-forwards (nine), and the fact that normally a centre-forward traditionally stayed near the line of defenders until they got an opportunity to move past them toward goal.
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Scored two goals against Australia in Pre-Olympics at Lord's [London] in 1967 and was mentioned in print media as "Harbinder's both goals with great dash and surely the bowler hatted monocle occupant of the Long Room at Lord's will talk of him in years to come in same admiring terms as of Graveney and Sobers" and 1 goal in same manner against Germany in the 1968 Mexico Olympics. He earned the distinction to replace such Olympic Centre Forwards as Major Dhyan Chand and Balbir Singh senior. He associated with the game of Hockey for the last 54 years since 1961 serving the Nation for the promotion of Hockey as a Player, Coach, Selector, Organiser and Govt. Observer. He won 36 Gold, 8 Silver and 4 Bronze Medals in various National and International Competitions during his sports career.
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Conlin was a "fast and tricky" player; only 5 ft 5 inches tall, he could cross balls for the centre forwards as well as score goals himself. Born in Consett, County Durham, of a Scottish steel- working father and an English mother (Luke and Mary Ann Conlin), Jimmy and his three younger siblings were raised in the Lanarkshire area east of Glasgow often referred to as Old Monkland.The Coodnaes, Scots Football Worldwide He began his football career playing in the Lanarkshire North Western Junior Football League with Captain Colt's Rovers. From there he moved to league rivals Airdrie St. Margarets and then on to the Glasgow Junior Football League side, Cambuslang Hibernian. From Cambuslang Hibernian he joined Falkirk sometime in 1899, making his debut in a Falkirk District Football League match away to East Stirlingshire on 30 December 1899, a game which his new team lost 6–3.
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Competition for the sole striking berth in manager Paul Cook's preferred 4–2–3–1 formation was made all the more intense at the start of the 2016/17 season, following the signings of Michael Smith, who made his loan move permanent, as well as Curtis Main from Doncaster Rovers and experienced forward Noel Hunt. Chaplin subsequently found himself on the bench in the early weeks of the season, before the inconsistent form of Smith and Main, coupled with Hunt's injury problems, saw Chaplin promoted to the starting lineup. He grasped the opportunity, scoring league goals against Wycombe, Barnet, Blackpool, Notts County and Cambridge before the end of October – a run of form which would see him established as Portsmouth's first-choice striker. As the season continued, Cook would rotate his centre-forwards, and Chaplin lost his place to the more physically-imposing Smith.
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Springett has been described by The Independent as a clever, consistent, "brave and agile goalkeeper", with an excellent positional sense. Despite his small stature and lack of physicality, which gave him a slight disadvantage against larger, more physical centre- forwards, he was "adept at choosing the precise moment to smother shots at the feet of attackers, accepting that such plunges would result in occasional injuries. Swift of foot, deftly assured with his hands and adept at judging when to leave his goal-line, he could be a gloriously entertaining performer, though for all his acrobatics, his lack of height occasionally made him vulnerable to sudden long shots." Regarded as one of England's greatest ever goalkeepers, he was known for his determination, athleticism, and the "thoroughness of his preparation, as he kept a notebook in which recorded the preferred spot-kick methods of all his leading opponents".
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Wayne Rooney, shown wearing the number 10 shirt, was used by Alex Ferguson as a second striker on many occasions during their time together at Manchester United, playing behind the number 9. Deep-lying forwards have a long history in the game, but the terminology to describe their playing activity has varied over the years. Originally such players were termed inside forwards, creative or deep-lying centre-forwards ("sub forwards"). More recently, two more variations of this old type of player have developed: the second, or shadow, or support, or auxiliary striker and, in what is in fact a distinct position unto its own, the number 10; the former role is exemplified by players such as Dennis Bergkamp (who would play just in behind the striker Thierry Henry at Arsenal), Alessandro Del Piero at Juventus, Youri Djorkaeff at Inter Milan, or Teddy Sheringham at Tottenham Hotspur.
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A centre forward (main striker) has the key task of scoring goals and for this reason acts as the focal point of the majority of attacking play by a team. As such, how well a striker is performing tends to be measured purely on goals scored despite the fact that they may be contributing in other ways to a team's success. A traditional centre forward was required to be tall in height and strong physically in order to be able to win the ball in the area from crosses and attempt to score with either their feet or head, or to knock the ball down for a teammate to score. Whilst these assets are still an advantage, in the modern game speed and movement are also required as there is more interplay when attacking. In a 4–4–2 or 4–4–1–1 formation the centre forward is often paired with a second striker who may play around him or in a slightly withdrawn role respectively, though it is not unknown to play two recognised centre forwards.
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The Saints were never able to keep up a good run of results due to ongoing illness and injury problems – according to club historians, manager George Kay used a total of 30 players during the league campaign, including two goalkeepers, three right- backs, five left-backs, five right-halves, five centre-halves, two left- halves, nine outside-rights, nine inside-rights, six centre-forwards, seven inside-lefts and four outside-lefts. On 28 November the team lost 5–0 at Notts County, who had been recently promoted from the Third Division South, before suffering their biggest home league defeat the next week when they were thrashed 6–0 by Plymouth Argyle, who were fifth in the table at the time. By March the Saints were facing a battle against relegation, sitting 18th in the table just five points above the drop. However, a strong finish to the campaign saw the side pick up wins over Swansea Town, Nottingham Forest, Notts County and Plymouth Argyle, losing just once in their last eight fixtures and securing their Second Division status for another year.
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