This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(October 2010) |
Leslie Jesse Sealey(29 September 1957 – 19 August 2001) was an English professionalfootballplayer and coach.
 Sealey in 1994 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leslie Jesse Sealey | ||
| Date of birth | 29 September 1957 | ||
| Place of birth | Bethnal Green,London, England | ||
| Date of death | 19 August 2001(aged 43) | ||
| Place of death | Southend-on-Sea,Essex[1] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1976–1983 | Coventry City | 158 | (0) |
| 1983–1990 | Luton Town | 207 | (0) |
| 1984 | →Plymouth Argyle(loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1990 | →Manchester United(loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Manchester United | 31 | (0) |
| 1991–1993 | Aston Villa | 18 | (0) |
| 1992 | →Coventry City(loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1992 | →Birmingham City(loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Manchester United | 0 | (0) |
| 1994 | Blackpool | 7 | (0) |
| 1994–1996 | West Ham United | 2 | (0) |
| 1996 | Leyton Orient | 12 | (0) |
| 1996–2001 | West Ham United | 2 | (0) |
| 1998 | →Bury(loan) | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 459 | (0) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He played as agoalkeeper,most notably in the top flight forCoventry City,Luton Town,Manchester United,Aston Villa,andWest Ham United.He also played in theFootball LeagueforPlymouth Argyle,Birmingham City,Blackpool,Leyton OrientandBury.
Following retirement, Sealey was appointed first team goalkeeping coach at West Ham United, a position he was in when he died of a heart attack on 19 August 2001.
Career
editSealey joined Coventry City as anapprenticein 1976 and made his debut as a 19-year-old on 11 April 1977, in a 1–1 draw atQueens Park Rangers.He spent the next five seasons at theWest Midlandsclub before joining Luton Town in 1983 for £100,000.[2]He was a regular in the team for much of his time atKenilworth Road,but he missed their 1988League Cuptriumph due to injury, his place being taken byAndy Dibble.A year later, Luton reached the final again and he was able to keep goal this time in a 3–1 defeat toNottingham Forestin which Sealey had a poor game, including foulingSteve Hodgeto concede a penalty (converted byNigel Clough). He was dropped from the team for Luton's next game and replaced byAlec Chamberlain.Sealey never played for Luton again.
In December 1989, Sealey was loaned to Manchester United and made two league appearances during the final weeks of the season. He was named as goalkeeper for the1990 FA Cup finalreplay againstCrystal Palaceafter a poor display fromJim Leightonin the preceding 3–3 draw, and made several saves to help his side win 1–0.[3]He later offered his winner's medal to Leighton, who had played throughout the cup run, but the FA subsequently granted medals to both players, who remained friends thereafter.[4][5]
United signed Sealey on a permanent basis, and he was their regular goalkeeper throughout the1990–91season, keeping goal in theirLeague Cup Finaldefeat toSheffield Wednesday(in which he was injured, but refused to leave the field)[3]and theCup Winners' Cup Finalvictory overBarcelonathe following month.[3]He became a cult hero with United fans and got a standing ovation whenever he returned to Old Trafford. He was hoping to get a two-year contract,[citation needed]but was offered just a one-year deal and turned it down in favour of a transfer, and was signed by Aston Villa. For much of the first half of 1991–92, Sealey was Villa's first-choice goalkeeper, but he then lost his place to long-servingNigel Spinkand never played for the club again.
He had several games on loan atBirmingham Cityduring the opening weeks of the1992–93season before returning to Manchester United on a free transfer in January 1993, this time asPeter Schmeichel's understudy.[6]
In his second spell atOld Trafford,he made just two first-team appearances – once as a substitute when Schmeichel was sent off in the FA Cup Quarter-final against Charlton and the other in the League Cup final for which Schmeichel was suspended, which United lost 3–1 to his old club, Aston Villa.[7]It meant his last four appearances for United were a Cup Winners Cup Final, two League Cup Finals and an FA Cup Quarter-final. He had, however, been an unused substitute for most of United's matches since his return to the club, thoughGary Walshwas selected as substitute goalkeeper for the1994 FA Cup final.[8]
At the end of the season he was given a free transfer and joinedBlackpool,but within six months he had leftBloomfield Roadand returned to thePremiershipwith boyhood heroes West Ham.[3]
Due to an injury crisis, Sealey made his Hammers debut as an outfield player, coming on as an attacking substitute againstArsenalin the autumn of 1995.[3]During his 18-month spell at theBoleyn Ground,he was understudy toLuděk Mikloško.
Sealey joinedThird DivisionclubLeyton Orientin 1996, and was their first-choice goalkeeper from the start of1996–97.
In December 1996, the 39-year-old Sealey returned to West Ham in an exchange deal for 47-year-oldPeter Shilton.He made his last first-team appearance on the final day of the1996–97season, fittingly against Manchester United at Old Trafford. He had come on as a substitute forLuděk Mikloško,West Ham's regular first-choice goalkeeper.
At the end of the1997–98season he was loaned out toBurybut did not make a first-team appearance. Upon his return to West Ham he was appointed as the club's goalkeeper coach, although he was still registered as a player during the1999–00season, taking him past his 42nd birthday in September 1999.[3]
Personal life
editHe was a nephew ofAlan Sealey,another West Ham United player.[9]
He was the father of footballers Joe and George Sealey. Joe notably played as a goalkeeper for West Ham United but at the age of 21 was forced to retire through injury.[10]
Death
editSealey was still employed as West Ham's goalkeeper coach when he died of a heart attack on 19 August 2001 at the age of 43.[3]One of Sealey's pupils at West Ham wasStephen Bywaterwho wore the number 43 on his shirt as a tribute to his former coach. Also at the club were Sealey's sons, George and Joe.[3][11][12]
Honours
editManchester United
- FA Cup:1989–90
- FA Charity Shield:1990(shared),1993
- European Cup Winners' Cup:1990–91
- Football League Cuprunner-up:1993–94[13]
References
edit- ^"Soccer: Footballer died house-hunting in Rayleigh".Gazette.27 August 2001.Retrieved21 April2019.
- ^"Les Sealey factfile".The Guardian.20 August 2001.Retrieved10 June2018.
- ^abcdefgh"The legend of Les Sealey: The goalkeeper who made Sir Alex Ferguson".Goal.Retrieved6 December2021.
- ^"Interview: Jim Leighton, former Aberdeen and Hibs goalkeeper".The Scotsman.14 April 2012.Retrieved27 December2017.
- ^"Lost tapes of a Manchester United cult hero".BBC Sport.29 May 2024.Retrieved29 May2024.
- ^"Remembering Les Sealey".manutd.com. 19 August 2019.Retrieved29 April2020.
- ^"Aston Villa at Wembley: Looking back at 1994 Cup final".birminghammail.co.uk. 26 February 2010.Retrieved29 April2020.
- ^"Les Sealey – A True United Hero".thefaithfulmufc.com. 12 January 2011.Retrieved29 April2020.
- ^"Les Sealey obituary".Eastlondonhistory.com. Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2007.
- ^Bourne, Dianne (28 January 2018)."I lost my Man United legend father and my own football career in the same month".Manchester Evening News.
- ^Glanville, Brian (21 August 2001)."Les Sealey".The Guardian.Retrieved1 October2012.
- ^Burt, Jason (24 November 2007)."Stephen Bywater: 'I like playing with the anger inside. Critics don't hurt, they drive me on'".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 13 June 2022.Retrieved1 October2012.
- ^Lovejoy, Joe (27 March 1994)."Football / Coca-Cola Cup Final: Saunders destroys United's dream: Aston Villa's master plan puts paid to Ferguson's malfunctioning Big Red Machine as Kanchelskis is dismissed".The Independent.Retrieved16 April2024.
External links
edit- Les Sealeyat Soccerbase
- Les Sealeyat sporting-heroes.net