Peter Zelem

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Peter Zelem
Personal information
Full name Peter Richard Zelem
Date of birth February 13, 1962 (1962-02-13) (age 46)
Place of birth    Manchester, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current club Retired
Youth clubs
c.1976–1978
1978–1980		 Blackpool
Chester City
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1980–1985
1985–1987
1987
1987–1989
1989–1991
1991–1992		 Chester City
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Preston North End
Burnley
Winsford United
Ashton United		 129 0 (15)
45 00 (1)
06 00 (1)
19 00 (2)
   

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

Peter Zelem (born 13 February 1962, Manchester) is a former English professional footballer who played as a defender. He played in The Football League for four clubs during the 1980s.

Contents

[edit] Playing Career

Zelem began with Blackpool on schoolboy forms but was released and joined Chester as an apprentice [1]. He made his debut in a 1–0 win over Carlisle United in August 1980, one of six first-team appearances he made during the 1980–81 season. His first goal arrived on the opening day of the following season against Bristol Rovers [2] and he became a regular over the next few years. By the start of 1984–85 he was the longest serving player at Chester [3] but he moved midway through the season to Wolverhampton Wanderers for £12,500 [4]. Although this initially gave Zelem the chance to play in the Second Division, the club were rapidly sliding downwards and were in Division Four by the time he linked up with former Chester manager John McGrath at Preston North End in March 1987.

He helped Preston to promotion before joining Burnley in the summer of 1987. After an injury hit two years at Turf Moor [5], Zelem left the club and joined non-league side Winsford United. He then moved on to Ashton United, but injury forced him to retire from playing [6]. Away from football he has worked as a contract cleaner with his twin brother Alan (a former goalkeeper with Macclesfield Town [7].

Zelem was the first post-war Football League player to have a surname beginning with a ‘Z’, first appearing the season before Romeo Zondervan joined Ipswich Town [8]

[edit] Honours

Preston North End

[edit] External Links

[edit] References

  1. ^ ’Where are they now?’, Chester City v. Burnley matchday programme; 5/9/1992; pg. 20
  2. ^ Chas Sumner (1997). On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City 1885-1997, stats section. ISBN 1-874427-52-6. 
  3. ^ ’Where are they now?’, Chester City v. Burnley matchday programme; 5/9/1992; pg. 20
  4. ^ Chas Sumner (1997). On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City 1885-1997, p.100. ISBN 1-874427-52-6. 
  5. ^ ’Where are they now?’, Chester City v. Burnley matchday programme; 5/9/1992; pg. 20
  6. ^ ’Where are they now?’, Chester City v. Burnley matchday programme; 5/9/1992; pg. 20
  7. ^ ’Where are they now?’, Chester City v. Burnley matchday programme; 5/9/1992; pg. 20
  8. ^ Barry J Hugman (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players’ Records: 1946-2005, p.682-683. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.