Stuart Leary

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Stuart Leary
Personal information
Full name Stuart Edward Leary
Date of birth 30 April 1933 (1933-04-30)
Place of birth    Cape Town, South Africa
Date of death    21 August 1988 (aged 55)
Place of death    Table Mountain, South Africa
Playing position Centre-forward
Youth clubs
 ?–1950 Clyde F.C. (Cape Town}
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1950–1962
1962–1966
Charlton Athletic
Queens Park Rangers
Total
376 (153)
094 0(29)
470 (182)   
National team
1954 England U23 001 00(0)

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

Stuart Edward Leary (30 April 193321 August 1988) was a South African footballer who played as a centre-forward.

Leary started his career with Cape Town side Clyde before moving to English side Charlton Athletic in 1950 along with team-mate Eddie Firmani. He was one of a number of South Africans to move to the The Valley in this era. After making his debut in 1951, he became a prolific goal-scorer scoring a record number of league goals for the club. Despite being South African born, he appeared for the England U23 team but was prevented from representing the full team by the Football Association who banned non-English-born players from representing the national team. During his period of National Service he served with the Royal Air Force. In all, he made 403 appearances for the Addicks, scoring 163. After failing to agree a new contract, he joined Queens Park Rangers in 1962 and remained there until his retirement in 1966.

Leary also had a reasonably successful spell as a first-class cricket player of Kent County Cricket Club between 1951 and 1971. He scored 16,517 runs and taking 140 wickets at an average of 34.

His body was discovered dead on Table Mountain in South Africa on 23 August 1988; it was believed he had died two days earlier.

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