Peter Houghton (footballer)

: "For the transplant patient of the same name, see Peter Houghton"

Football player infobox
playername = Peter Houghton


fullname =
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1954|11|30
cityofbirth = Liverpool
countryofbirth = England
height = height|ft=5|in=11
currentclub = Retired
clubnumber =
position = Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 197?–197?
197?–1978
1978–1983
1983–1985
1984
1985–1988
1988–c.1990
c.1990–?
clubs = Prescot Town
South Liverpool
Wigan Athletic
Preston North End
→Wrexham "(loan)"
Chester City
Runcorn
Warrington Town
caps(goals) =
185 0 (62)
56 00 (16)
5 00 0(2)
85 0 0(13)
managerclubs =
manageryears =

Peter Houghton (born November 30 1954, Liverpool) is a former English footballer. He played in The Football League for four clubs from 1978 to 1988.

Playing career

A forward, Houghton made his breakthrough into professional football at 23 when Wigan Athletic were elected to The Football League in 1978. He had joined the Latics a few months earlier from South Liverpool, after an earlier spell with Prescot Town where he won a Mid–Cheshire League championship. ["Focus on Peter Houghton", Chester City v. Tranmere Rovers matchday programme, 4/9/85, p. 13] He had the honour of scoring Wigan's final goal as a non–league club against Matlock Town and helped them win the Lancashire Junior Cup against Chorley near the end of 1977–78. [cite web|url= http://www.yeoldetreeandcrown.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=58| title= Latics A-Z| publisher=Ye Olde Tree & Crown| accessdate=2008-06-07]

Houghton had a goal disallowed on his Football League debut against Hereford United, [cite web|url= http://www.yeoldetreeandcrown.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=58| title= Latics A-Z| publisher=Ye Olde Tree & Crown| accessdate=2008-06-07] but ended the season with 13 league goals to his name. He managed to score double figures in four of his five full seasons with Wigan, including 1981–82 when the club won promotion from Division Four. In October 1983 he joined Preston North End, where he spent two years (including a loan spell with Wrexham) before switching to Chester City ahead of 1985–86.

His first season at Chester saw him score 10 times in 37 league appearances to help the Blues to promotion. He remained a regular the following season but was injured for much of 1987–88. [cite book | author=Chas Sumner | title=On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City 1885-1997 | year=1997| pages= p.104| publisher=Yore Publications| id=ISBN 1-874427-52-6] This was to be his final season with the club, with his last appearance coming in a 0–0 draw at Chesterfield on April 30 1988. [cite book | author=Chas Sumner | title=On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City 1885-1997 | year=1997| pages= stats section| publisher=Yore Publications| id=ISBN 1-874427-52-6]

After leaving Chester, Houghton dropped into non–league football with Runcorn in the GM Vauxhall Conference and also later played for Warrington Town. [cite web|url= http://www.yeoldetreeandcrown.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=58| title= Latics A-Z| publisher=Ye Olde Tree & Crown| accessdate=2008-06-07]

Honours

Prescot Town

* Mid–Cheshire League champions: 1976–77

Wigan Athletic

* Lancashire Junior Cup winners: 1977–78

* Football League Division Four promotion: 1981–82

Chester City

* Football League Division Four runners–up: 1985–86

External links

* [http://www.yeoldetreeandcrown.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=58 Wigan Athletic A-Z profile]
* [http://www.chilvers1.demon.co.uk/Hereford.htm Article on Wigan’s first match in Football League (featuring Peter Houghton)]

References