Ken Hardwick
Kenneth "Ken" Hardwick (6 January 1931 – 4 June 1977) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Doncaster Rovers, Scunthorpe United and Barrow.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kenneth Hardwick | ||
| Date of birth | 6 January 1924 | ||
| Place of birth | West Auckland, England | ||
| Date of death | 4 June 1977 (aged 53) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1945 | Rossington Colliery | ||
| 1945–1957 | Doncaster Rovers | 308 | (0) |
| 1957–1960 | Scunthorpe United | 96 | (0) |
| 1960 | Barrow | 12 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Playing career
Hardwick first played for Rovers during the war, 26 games in total.[1] From his league debut against Nottingham Forest on 26 December 1947,[1] Hardwick became Rovers first choice keeper. That season Rovers were relegated from The Second Division but in the 1949−50 season they stormed the Third Division North and gained promotion back to League Division 2 where he spent the rest of his time with them.
With the legendary Harry Gregg as his understudy for four seasons,[1] this was a golden period for Doncasters keepers.
In 1955, at the age of 30, Hardwick was invited to an England Under-23 trial. The FA withdrew the invitation once the error was realised.[2]
After Harry Gregg took over his position at Doncaster, he moved first to Scunthorpe, then ended his playing days at Barrow.