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Gordon Banks - Early Years
A careful student of goalkeepers during childhood, Banks played in local colliery football as a boy and was offered an apprenticeship by Chesterfield after initially going to work down a mine and then as a bricklayer on leaving school.
After performances in the youth and A teams gained him promotion to the reserves, Banks was posted to Germany with the Royal Signals on National Service, winning the Rhine Cup with his regimental team. On his return he was offered a full-time contract by the Chesterfield manager, Ted Davison.
He reached the two-legged FA Youth Cup final with Chesterfield in 1956, losing 4-3 on aggregate to the Manchester United team of the famous Busby Babes. He made his debut for the first team at home in November 1958 against Colchester United in the newly formed Third Division. He played just 23 games for the club before First Division Leicester City offered Chesterfield 7,000 pounds in the summer of 1959.
Banks' career started to rise rapidly from hereon in. After 4 games for the reserves, he replaced the injured Dave McLaren for his Leicester City debut in a 1-1 draw against Blackpool on the 9th September 1959 and retained his place for the 2-0 defeat against Newcastle 3 days later. With McLaren fit again, Banks was sent back to the reserves but, after the first team conceded 14 goals in the next 5 games, he was recalled and became the first-choice goalie for the remainder of the season.
In 1961, Leicester City beat Sheffield United to reach the FA Cup final at Wembley, the first of three they would manage that decade. Their opponents were Tottenham Hotspur, who were a cut above everyone else having won the First Division title with ease and style. Banks played well, but with the right back Len Chalmers carrying an injury, was powerless to prevent second half goals from Bobby Smith and Terry Dyson giving Spurs a 2-0 win and the first "double" of the 20th century.
At the time, Ron Springett was the goalkeeper for England, but after the 1962 World Cup in Chile, a new coach was appointed in former England right back Alf Ramsey. Ramsey demanded sole control of team and began looking towards the next World Cup. He knew that he just needed to find a squad for the final stages as England were hosting the event and didn't need to undergo a qualifying campaign. In goal, Banks was checked out by Ramsey for the first time in April 1963 against Scotland at Wembley. Though England lost 2-1, Banks gained plaudits and Ramsey was pleased with him. He played in 13 of the next 15 internationals, including a 1-1 draw against Brazil.
Meanwhile, a month after his international bow, Banks was back at Wembley with Leicester for another FA Cup final, this time against Manchester United. United were looking for their first trophy since the Munich air disaster of five years earlier which had claimed the lives of eight of the Busby Babes whom Banks had faced as an adolescent. Banks failed to hold a Bobby Charlton shot from distance which gifted a chance to David Herd and afterwards it went from bad to worse for England's newest keeper, when Denis Law wrongfooted Banks with a smart shot on the turn to put United 2-0 ahead. After Leicester had pulled one back through a diving header from Ken Keyworth, Banks leapt high in the air to claim a high cross from Johnny Giles, only to drop the ball at Herd's feet. Herd scored his second to conclude a 3-1 win.
In 1964, Banks had some domestic success when Leicester beat Stoke City 4-3 in the League Cup final over two legs, though they lost the trophy a year later after a 3-2 defeat by Chelsea on aggregate in the final.
Other related archives1937, 1937 births, 1956, 1959, 1960s, 1961, 1962 World Cup, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1966 World Cup, 1968 European Championships, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1972 European Championships, 1974, 20th century, 22nd October, 27th May, 30th December, Alan Ball, Alan Mullery, Alex Stepney, Alf Ramsey, April, Argentina, Arsenal, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Bobby Smith, Brazil, Busby Babes, Carlos Alberto, Channel 4, Chelsea, Chesterfield, Chesterfield F.C. players, Chile, Conspiracies, Czechoslovakia, David Herd, Denis Law, East Germany, England, English Football Hall of Fame, English footballers, Eusebio, Everton, FA Cup, FA Youth Cup, FIFA 100, First Division, Florence, Football (soccer) goalkeepers, Football Writers' Association Footballer Of The Year, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, France, Franz Beckenbauer, Geoff Hurst, George Best, Gerd Müller, Germany, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Hampden Park, Helmut Haller, Jack Charlton, Jairzinho, Jeff Astle, Johnny Giles, League Cup, Leicester City, Leicester City F.C. players, Manchester City, Manchester United, Martin Peters, Mexico, Munich air disaster, NASL, NASL players, National Service, Northern Ireland, OBE, Officers of the British Empire, Pelé, Peter Bonetti, Peter Shilton, Portugal, Ray Wilson, Romania, Scotland, Stoke City, Stoke City F.C. players, Tamworth, Telford United, Terry Cooper, Tommy Wright, Tottenham Hotspur, Uruguay, Uwe Seeler, Wembley, West Germany, West Ham United, Wolfgang Weber, Yugoslavia, adolescent, advertising, aggregate, apprenticeship, bathroom, bricklayer, colliery, decade, footballer, goalkeeper, mine, physiotherapist, pounds, stomach, wife
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Early Years", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
