Stanley Charles Machent (23 March 1921 – 17 December 2012) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward in the Football League for Sheffield United and Chesterfield and in non-League football for Buxton and Hereford United.[2][3][4][5][6]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stanley Charles Machent[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 23 March 1921[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Chesterfield, England | ||
| Date of death | 17 December 2012 (aged 91)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Brimington, England | ||
| Position(s) | Inside Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1938 | Chesterfield Ramblers | ||
| 1938–1947 | Sheffield United | 22 | (2) |
| 1939 | → Buxton (loan) | ||
| 1947–1949 | Chesterfield | 21 | (7) |
| 1949–1951 | Buxton | ||
| 1951 | Hereford United | ||
| 1951–1954 | Buxton | ||
| Total | 43 | (9) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editBorn in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Machent left school at the age of fourteen, and was an apprentice builder before he started his career with local side Chesterfield Ramblers.[4] His form for the club alerted Chesterfield and Sheffield United, with Chesterfield offering him professional terms in 1938.[4] However, Sheffield United later offered him a better offer and he signed for the Blades.[4] In October 1939 he was loaned to Buxton, making his debut against Ashton National in a 4–3 win.[7] His early career at the club was cut short due to World War II and he played as a guest player for Chesterfield during the war.[4] He remained with United for nine years, making 22 appearances and scoring twice.[6] In November 1947 he joined Football League Second Division side Chesterfield for £6,000 plus Dick Culshaw.[4] Injury restricted him to just 17 games in his first season for the club, as he twice suffered a broken arm.[4] In the fourth game of the 1948–49 season he suffered a knee injury which kept him out for the rest of the campaign.[4] He was transfer-listed in 1949 and later dropped into non-league football re-joining Cheshire League side Buxton.[4] Whilst at Buxton he was part of the side that reached the third round of the FA Cup in 1951–52, beating Aldershot in the process.[4] In his second season for Buxton he scored an impressive 26 goals in 19 league games.[3] In July 1951 he signed for ambitious Southern League club Hereford United.[3] He struggled to compete for a place in the first team, only making two appearances and he mainly featured for the reserves.[3] He spent three months with the Bulls but left in October 1951 due to travel commitments.[3] He later returned to Buxton where he spent another three seasons.[3] From 1954 he served as player-coach to Chesterfield's 'A' side that competed in the Yorkshire League, before the team disbanded at the end of the 1954–55 campaign.[4]
Personal life
editHis older brother, Arthur Machent, also played for Chesterfield in the 1930s.[4] During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force as a radio and radar operator with RAF Coastal Command, later becoming a warrant officer with No. 120 Squadron RAF, serving in Canada, Northern Ireland and The Bahamas.[2] After retiring from football he ran a shop in Chesterfield with his wife Vera, and later worked for the National Coal Board, and also as a maintenance joiner for the Derbyshire Health Authority.[2] He died on 17 December 2012 in Brimington, Derbyshire at the age of 91.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press. ISBN 978-1-85291-665-7.
- ^ a b c d e "Mr Stanley Machent : Obituary". Chesterfield Today. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bulls News - profile". Bulls News. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Sky is Blue - Stan Machent". Sky is Blue. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ "CHESTERFIELD : 1946/47 - 2013/14". Neil Brown. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ a b "SHEFFIELD UNITED : 1946/47 - 2013/14". Neil Brown. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ "Tribute to one of Buxton's FA Cup heroes". Derbyshire Times. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2015.