Dave Bamber

Dave Bamber

Personal information
Full name	John David Bamber
Date of birth	(1959-02-01) 1 February 1959
Place of birth	Prescot, England
Height
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1979–1983	Blackpool	81	(29)
1983	Coventry City	19	(3)
1983–1984	Walsall	20	(7)
1984	Portsmouth	4	(1)
1985	Trelleborgs FF	4	(1)
1985–1987	Swindon Town	108	(31)
1988	Watford	18	(3)
1988–1989	Stoke City	43	(8)
1989–1990	Hull City	28	(5)
1990	→ Blackpool (loan)	5	(4)
1990–1994	Blackpool	108	(56)
Total		438	(148)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John David "Dave" Bamber (born 1 February 1959) is an English former professional footballer.

Career

Born in Prescot, Merseyside, in youth and junior football, Bamber played for Leicester University and St. Helens Town. Bamber began his professional career at Blackpool in 1979. His starting debut came on 29 December 1979, in a loss at Chester City. He scored his first goal for the Seasiders on 7 April 1980, in a league encounter against Carlisle United at Bloomfield Road. During the next four years of struggle, Bamber scored 36 goals in 100 games in all competitions under four different managers. Coventry City came in for his services prior to the 1983–84 season. Bamber moved to Walsall later in 1983, before a short stay at Portsmouth in 1984.

In 1985 he joined Swedish side Trelleborgs FF, making just four league appearances, scoring one goal, before moving back to England to play for Swindon Town later that same year. In two years with the Robins he made 108 league appearances, scoring 31 goals.

In 1988 he joined Watford with whom he made 18 league appearances and scored three goals before moving to Stoke City later that same year. In 1989 he joined Hull City, before returning to Blackpool in 1990 to bring his fifteen-year playing career to a close. He was re-signed by the Seasiders initially on loan, in December 1990, by the departing Graham Carr, who was immediately replaced by his assistant, Billy Ayre. "I signed for Graham Carr on the Thursday and got on the coach to go down to Hereford to find out that he'd been sacked," Bamber explained in 2012. "Nobody seemed to know what was going on. Billy Ayre got on the coach further down the M6." A month later, on 5 January 1991, shortly before kick-off in an FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur, new Seasiders manager Billy Ayre agreed to pay Hull £50,000 for Bamber.

In his second spell at Blackpool, Bamber played at Wembley twice in successive seasons (1990–91 and 1991–92), both in the play-off finals, and both of which went to penalty shoot-outs. In the first final, against Torquay United, Bamber put his spot-kick wide of Gareth Howells' left-hand post, handing promotion to the Tangerines' south-coast opponents. Following this loss, the Gulls named their fanzine Bamber's Right Foot, in mockery of the striker's miss.

The following year, however, Blackpool were victorious in the same manner against Scunthorpe United and were promoted to the new Division Two. Bamber, who played despite needing an operation on his knee (preserving his record of being an ever-present throughout the season), scored Blackpool's normal-time goal. He did not partake in the penalty shoot-out. A persistent pelvic injury forced Bamber to retire in 1994.

Blackpool F.C. Hall of Fame

Bamber was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Bloomfield Road, when it was officially opened by former Blackpool player Jimmy Armfield in April 2006. Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted; Bamber is in the 1990s.

Post-retirement

After retiring from football, Bamber remained in Blackpool with his family, becoming a property developer.

Career statistics

• Sourced from The English National Football Archive

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Blackpool	1979–80	Third Division	7	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	8	1
	1980–81	Third Division	15	3	0	0	0	0	2	1	17	4
	1981–82	Fourth Division	38	15	5	1	2	1	3	0	48	17
	1982–83	Fourth Division	26	10	2	1	4	4	0	0	32	15
	Total		81	29	8	2	6	5	5	1	100	37
Coventry City	1983–84	First Division	19	3	1	0	2	1	0	0	22	4
	Total		19	3	1	0	2	1	0	0	22	4
Walsall	1983–84	Third Division	10	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	3
	1984–85	Third Division	10	4	0	0	3	0	0	0	13	4
	Total		20	7	0	0	3	0	0	0	23	7
Portsmouth	1983–84	Second Division	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
	Total		4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
Trelleborgs FF	1985	Allsvenskan	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
	Total		4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
Swindon Town	1985–86	Fourth Division	23	9	0	0	1	0	0	0	24	9
	1986–87	Third Division	42	9	3	3	3	4	10	4	58	20
	1987–88	Second Division	41	13	3	2	6	3	5	0	55	18
	Total		106	31	6	5	10	7	15	4	137	47
Watford	1988–89	Second Division	18	3	0	0	2	1	2	0	22	4
	Total		18	3	0	0	2	1	2	0	22	4
Stoke City	1988–89	Second Division	23	6	3	2	0	0	0	0	26	8
	1989–90	Second Division	20	2	0	0	2	0	1	1	23	3
	Total		43	8	3	2	2	0	1	1	49	11
Hull City	1989–90	Second Division	19	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	19	3
	1990–91	Second Division	9	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	11	2
	Total		28	5	0	0	2	0	0	0	30	5
Blackpool	1990–91	Fourth Division	23	17	1	0	0	0	4	0	28	17
	1991–92	Fourth Division	42	26	2	1	4	6	5	2	53	35
	1992–93	Second Division	24	13	0	0	0	0	1	0	25	13
	1993–94	Second Division	22	4	0	0	3	3	1	0	26	7
	1994–95	Second Division	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	4	0
	Total		113	60	3	1	9	9	11	2	136	72
Career Total			436	148	21	10	36	23	34	8	527	189

A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Scottish Cup, Football League Group Cup, Football League play-offs, Football League Trophy and Full Members Cup.

Honours

Swindon Town

• Division Four champion: 1985–86
• Division Three play-off winner: 1986–87

Blackpool

• Division Four play-off winner: 1991–92

External links

• Bamber's profile at soccerbase.com
• Bamber in the Blackpool Supporters Association Hall of Fame
• Profile at VitalSwindon
• "Home win for Pool legend Bamber" – Blackpool Gazette