Harry Haslam (footballer, born 1921)

Harry Haslam (30 July 1921 – 11 September 1986)^[1] was an English football player and manager in the Football League between the 1940s and 1980s.

Harry Haslam

Personal information
Date of birth	(1921-07-30)30 July 1921
Place of birth	Manchester, England
Date of death	11 September 1986(1986-09-11) (aged 65)
Place of death	Biggleswade, England
Position(s)	Full-back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
?–1946	Rochdale	0	(0)
1946–1947	Oldham Athletic	2	(0)
1947–1948	Brighton and Hove Albion	0	(0)
1948–1949	Leyton Orient	7	(0)
1949	Guildford City
Managerial career
1956–1959	Barry Town
1960s	Tonbridge
1972–1978	Luton Town
1978–1981	Sheffield United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

A full-back, Haslam played for Rochdale as an amateur, before moving to Oldham Athletic in 1946–47, for whom he made two League appearances.^[2] After a short spell with Brighton & Hove Albion he moved to Leyton Orient for 1948-49, with whom he made seven league appearances, before joining Guildford City.^[3]

He managed Tonbridge in the 1960s, winning the Kent Senior Cup in 1964–65,^[4] and went on to manage the club on a record 552 occasions.^[5] Haslam became manager of Luton Town in 1972 and he led them to promotion to the Football League First Division for 1974–75.^[6]

In 1978, he became manager of Sheffield United, and he remained in charge until 1980.^[7] Under Haslam's management, Sheffield United almost signed Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona who was then 17 years old. However the agreed fee was increased and Maradona, who had made his way to the airport, had to remain in Argentina for the time being.^[8]