Kevin Francis (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Derek Michael Francis | ||
| Date of birth | 6 December 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1989 | Mile Oak Rovers | ||
| 1989–1991 | Derby County | 10 | (0) |
| 1991–1995 | Stockport County | 152 | (88) |
| 1995–1998 | Birmingham City | 73 | (13) |
| 1998–2000 | Oxford United | 36 | (8) |
| 2000 | Stockport County | 4 | (0) |
| 2000 | Exeter City | 7 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | Hull City | 22 | (5) |
| 2001–2003 | Hednesford Town | 41 | (9) |
| 2003–2005 | Redditch United | ||
| 2005 | Studley | ||
| National team | |||
| 1998 | Saint Kitts & Nevis | 2 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Kevin Derek Michael Francis (born 6 December 1967) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker and is 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall. He is most famous for his four-year spell at Stockport County, where he scored 117 goals.
Football career
Early career
Francis started his career at Mile Oak Rovers, before a big move to Derby County in 1989. He made 17 appearances for Derby, 15 as a substitute, scoring once in the FA Cup.
Stockport County
Danny Bergara spotted Francis whilst he was playing a reserve match and immediately wanted to sign him. County paid Derby £45,000 in March 1991. He scored 5 goals as County finished as runner-up in Division Four. The following season, he notched 26 as County made it into two Wembley finals, followed by 33 in 1992–93 season as Stockport made it to the final of the Autoglass Shield. In his final full season he produced another 30 goals as County yet again made it to Wembley, however he was to lose for a fourth time. In 1994–95 he had already scored 13 times before he left Stockport in January 1995, for £800,000, a record at the time for County.
He did make a return to County in 2000, but it was short-lived as after just four appearances he broke his leg in a match versus Manchester City. He was released at the end of the season, a sad way to end his glorious County career.
Due to his excellent goal-scoring feats he earned the honour of "County Player of the Century" in 2002.[1] Francis appeared back at Edgeley Park on 18 July 2014 as one of 30 Stockport County legends to play in Mike Flynn's testimonial match. Francis was welcomed back like a hero by the Stockport fans and stayed after the game to meet the fans.
Later career
After leaving Stockport County, Francis had a moderately successful spell at his hometown club Birmingham City, scoring 21 times in 94 appearances. Moves to Oxford United, Exeter City (for whom he scored once, against Lincoln City[2]) and Hull City followed, before Francis exited the Football League and joined Hednesford Town. He finished his career off with spells at Redditch United and Studley before retiring in 2005.
Club statistics
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1989–91 | Derby County | Football League | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| 1991–95 | Stockport County | Football League | 152 | 88 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 18 | 198 | 117 |
| 1995–98 | Birmingham City | Football League | 73 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 94 | 21 |
| 1998–00 | Oxford United | Football League | 36 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 8 |
| 2000 | Stockport County | Football League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2000 | Exeter City | Football League | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| 2000–01 | Hull City | Football League | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 |
| Career total | 306 | 115 | 22 | 9 | 26 | 10 | 32 | 19 | 386 | 153 | ||
Personal life
Born in Birmingham, England, Francis played international football for Saint Kitts and Nevis, qualifying through his parents, who were both born in the country.[3] He played his first international matches in the Caribbean Cup in April 1998.[4]
He moved to Canada, where he worked as a police officer in Calgary, Alberta. He is married to Sharon, with whom he has two children, Stacey and Keisha. Stacey plays netball for England and Yorkshire Jets as a defender.
Honours
Stockport County
- Football League Division Four runners up: 1991
- Football League Trophy runners up: 1992, 1993
References
- ↑ "Kevin Francis". Stockport County F.C. 27 June 2008. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ↑ "Lincoln 3-1 Exeter". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 November 2000. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- ↑ "International call-up for United's Francis". The Oxford Times. 19 March 1998. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
- ↑ "Smudger set to miss United derby". Oxford Mail. 8 April 1998. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
External links
- Kevin Francis at Soccerbase
- Interview (2005) on PFA website