Ian Helliwell (footballer)

Ian Helliwell
Personal information
Full nameIan Helliwell[1]
Date of birth7 November 1962[1]
Place of birthRotherham, England
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Playing positionStriker
Youth career
Sheffield Wednesday
1982–1983Chesterfield
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1983–1987Matlock Town
1987–1991York City160(40)
1991–1993Scunthorpe United80(22)
1993–1995Rotherham United52(4)
1995–1996Stockport County39(13)
1996–1998Burnley4(0)
1996→ Mansfield Town (loan)5(1)
1996→ Chester City (loan)9(1)
1997–1998→ Doncaster Rovers (loan)8(1)
1998–2002Ilkeston Town
Total357(82)
Teams managed
2000Ilkeston Town (caretaker)
2001Ilkeston Town (joint)
2002Ilkeston Town (caretaker)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Ian Helliwell (born 7 November 1962) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.

He played for Sheffield Wednesday and Chesterfield as a youth, before joining Matlock Town in non-League football. After four seasons, he moved to the Football League with York City, where he was top scorer for three successive seasons. He moved on to Scunthorpe United, where he was top scorer for one season, before having spells with Rotherham United, Stockport County and Burnley. He was loaned out on three occasions while at Burnley and he finished his career with Ilkeston Town.

Career

Born in Rotherham, West Riding of Yorkshire, Helliwell attended Old Hall Comprehensive School and started his football career as a junior with Sheffield Wednesday.[2] He had trials at Stoke City before joining the reserve team at Chesterfield in 1982, and during his time as a youth player he worked for steel producer British Steel.[2] He moved into non-League football with Matlock Town of the Northern Premier League in 1983, where he scored 68 goals in just over four seasons before joining Third Division team York City for a fee of £10,000 in October 1987.[2] He made his debut in a 4–2 defeat to Sunderland on 24 October and scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw with Bury on 7 November.[3] He finished his first season, 1987–88, with 33 appearances and scored eight goals, while York were relegated to the Fourth Division.[3] He finished the 1988–89 season as York's top scorer with 11 goals from 47 matches,[4] as well as winning the Clubman of the Year award.[2] His only hat-trick for the club came in a 7–1 victory over Hartlepool United in the Football League Trophy and he finished the 1989–90 season again as York's top scorer with 19 goals, featuring in all of York's 54 games.[2][5] His final season with York saw him finish as top scorer for a third successive season with 10 goals from 49 appearances.[6]

Helliwell joined Fourth Division rivals Scunthorpe United for a fee of £80,000 in August 1991 and he became the first player to miss a penalty kick in a penalty shoot-out in the FA Cup, which came against Rotherham United.[2] He featured for Scunthorpe in the 1992 Fourth Division play-off Final, which was lost on penalties to Blackpool.[2] Helliwell scored 14 goals from 50 appearances in his first season with Scunthorpe.[7] He finished as top scorer for the 1992–93 season with 18 goals from 52 matches and before the start of the following season, he joined Rotherham for a fee of £60,000 in August 1993.[2][8] He played some games as a centre-back at Rotherham, where he made 47 appearances and scored three goals in the 1993–94 season.[2][9] Having made 16 appearances and scored three goals during the 1994–95 season he joined Stockport County in January 1995 as a replacement for Kevin Francis.[2][10] He scored twice on his debut against Hull City and finished the season with 17 appearances and four goals for Stockport.[11] Having scored 11 goals in 29 games during the 1995–96 season, Helliwell signed for Burnley for a fee of £25,000 in February 1996.[2][12] He made four appearances before the end of the season.[13]

He was loaned out to Mansfield Town for a month in September 1996 and made his debut in a 0–0 with Doncaster Rovers, eventually scoring his first and only goal in his final game against Carlisle United.[14] Helliwell was soon loaned out again, joining Chester City in October 1996 and making his debut in a 0–0 draw with Scarborough, with his only goal coming in a 2–1 victory over Exeter City.[14] His only appearances of the 1997–98 season came during a loan spell at Doncaster, where he made nine appearances and scored one goal, which came against former loan club Chester.[15]

Helliwell returned to playing non-League football when joining Southern Football League side Ilkeston Town in 1998 and featured for them in FA Cup games against Football League sides Carlisle United and Swindon Town.[16][17][18] Having returned to semi-professional football, he worked part-time as an electrician.[19] Helliwell took over as caretaker manager at Ilkeston after Keith Alexander resigned in October 2000, and led the team to the first round of the FA Cup before John McGovern was appointed in November.[20] In March 2001, Helliwell was appointed as one of a three-man management team at Ilkeston alongside former Burnley teammate Charlie Bishop and former York teammate Chris Marples.[20] The trio guided the club to safety at the end of the 2000–01 season; Marples was consequently hired as manager on a permanent basis in May 2001 and Helliwell returned to his playing role.[20] After Marples left Ilkeston in March 2002, Bishop and Helliwell took caretaker charge of the team before John McGinlay was appointed later that month.[20] Helliwell retired from football following the 2001–02 season, having spent four seasons with Ilkeston.

Style of play

Helliwell played as a striker and at six-foot three inches, his height made him a "useful aerial weapon".[2]

Career statistics

Club statistics
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
York City 1987–88[3] Third Division 32800001[lower-alpha 1]0338
1988–89[4] Fourth Division 411110203[lower-alpha 1]04711
1989–90[5] Fourth Division 461410413[lower-alpha 1]45419
1990–91[6] Fourth Division 41730203[lower-alpha 1]34910
Total 16040508110718348
Scunthorpe United 1991–92[7] Fourth Division 39922415[lower-alpha 2]25014
1992–93[8] Third Division 411320445[lower-alpha 1]15218
Total 8022428510310232
Rotherham United 1993–94[9] Second Division 40310402[lower-alpha 1]0473
1994–95[10] Second Division 12121101[lower-alpha 1]1163
Total 524315031636
Stockport County 1994–95[11] Second Division 174000000174
1995–96[12] Second Division 22921411[lower-alpha 1]02911
Total 39132141104615
Burnley 1995–96[13] Second Division 4000000040
Mansfield Town (loan) 1996–97[14] Third Division 5100000051
Chester City (loan) 1996–97[14] Third Division 9100000091
Doncaster Rovers (loan) 1997–98[15] Third Division 8100001[lower-alpha 1]091
Career total 357821442572511421104
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Appearance(s) in Associate Members' Cup
  2. ↑ Two appearances in Associate Members' Cup, three appearances and two goals in Fourth Division play-offs

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 280. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 Jarred, Martin; Windross, Dave (1997). Citizens and Minstermen, A Who's Who of York City FC 1922–1997. Citizen Publications. p. 46. ISBN 0-9531005-0-2.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Batters, Dave (2008). York City: The Complete Record. Breedon Books. pp. 370–371, 412–413. ISBN 978-1-859836-33-0.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Batters. York City: The Complete Record. pp. 372–373, 414–415.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Batters. York City: The Complete Record. pp. 374–375, 414–415.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Batters. York City: The Complete Record. pp. 376–377, 414–415.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rollin, Jack, ed. (1992). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1992–93. Headline Publishing. pp. 456–457, 592–593, 625–630, 641–644, 660–661. ISBN 978-0-747279-05-1.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Rollin, Jack, ed. (1993). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1993–94. Headline Publishing. pp. 448–449, 616–624, 637–640, 655–657. ISBN 978-0-747278-95-5.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Rollin, Jack, ed. (1994). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1994–95. Headline Publishing. pp. 430–431, 617–622, 637–639, 656. ISBN 978-0-747278-57-3.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Rollin, Jack, ed. (1995). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1995–96. Headline Publishing. pp. 300–301, 579, 596, 610–612. ISBN 978-0-747278-23-8.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Rollin (ed.). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1995–96. pp. 332–333.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Rollin, Glenda, ed. (1996). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1996–97. Headline Publishing. pp. 332–333, 574–578, 587, 603–604. ISBN 978-0-747277-81-1.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Rollin (ed.). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1996–97. pp. 92–93.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "Games played by Ian Helliwell in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Games played by Ian Helliwell in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  16. ↑ "Ian Helliwell". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  17. ↑ "Games played by Ian Helliwell in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  18. ↑ "Games played by Ian Helliwell in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  19. ↑ Culley, Jon (1 November 1999). "Football: That was the weekend that was – FA Cup's magic helps heal some old wounds". The Independent (London). Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 "Managers". ilsonfootball.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2012.

External links