Today is Roger Hunt's 77th birthday and
I suspect that a few youngsters out there will have no idea who he
is. Did he cross the South Pole? Is he a politician?
Roger Hunt still holds the record
number of league goals scored for Liverpool FC, having started his
career while the club was in the Second Division, scoring on his
debut against Scunthorpe and then leading the line very successfully
at Anfield in Division One, in the FA Cup Final win over Leeds in
1965 and later as European Cup Winners Cup finalists against Borussia
Dortmund, a game lost.
His goal against Arsenal in August 1964
was the first goal seen on the Match of the Day programme and his
international career began in 1962, with a debut goal and during the
1966 World Cup campaign, he scored (6 goals) in every round including the
Final. He could have put pay to all speculation about Geoff
Hurst's second goal (making it 3-2 in extra time), when Hunt, in the six hard box, turned away from the ball as it rebounded off
the cross bar and down to the ground, apparently over the line-why
didn't he just bundle the ball into the back of the net?
Hunt was meant to partner Jimmy Greaves
in that tournament but injury to Greaves let in Hurst who scored a hat trick in
the final.
Hunt had a spell with Bolton as he
ended his career, scoring 24 goals in 77 matches in the Second and
Third Division, and then was given an MBE in 2000 when a group of
media decided than the famed 1966 team had not been given enough
recognition for their achievement.
Happy Birthday “Sir” Roger as the
Kop still call him.
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