Vince Hilaire

Infobox Football biography
playername = Vince Hilaire


fullname = Vincent Mark Hilaire
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1959|10|10
cityofbirth = Forest Hill, London
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height =
position = Midfielder (retired)
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1977-1984
1982
1984
1984-1988
1988-1989
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991-1992
clubs = Crystal Palace
San Jose Earthquakes (NASL) (loan)
Luton Town
Portsmouth
Leeds United
→ Stoke City (loan)
Stoke City
Exeter City
Career
caps(goals) = 255 (29)
0022 0(5)
006 0(0)
146 (25)
044 0(6)
005 0(1)
010 0(2)
033 0(4)
499 (67)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =

Vincent Mark Hilaire (b. 1959-10-10, Forest Hill, London)cite web|title=Vince Hilaire|publisher=sportingheroes.net|url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=1034|accessdate=2007-09-03] is a retired professional footballer who played for Crystal Palace, Luton Town, Portsmouth, Leeds United, Stoke City and Exeter City. [cite web|title=Vince Hilaire|publisher=Crystal Palace FC official website |url=http://www.cpfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/PalaceLegendsF-J/0,,10323~676753,00.html|accessdate=2007-09-03] He was one the first established black players in English football. [cite news|first=Brian|last=Oliver|coauthors=Ed Vulliamy|title=Up Pompey|publisher=The Observer|date=2003-08-03|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1009777,00.html|accessdate=2007-09-03]

Career

Hilaire began his career with Crystal Palace as a 17 year old in a 3–2 defeat at Lincoln City in March 1977cite web|title=Vince Hilaire|publisher=sportingheroes.ner|url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=1033|accessdate=2007-09-03] and rose to prominence with the side prophesied to be the "Team of the Eighties" [cite news|first=David|last=Barber|title=Young Eagles soar|publisher=TheFA.com|date=2006-01-01|url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFAYouthCup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2006/02/TheFAYouthCup_Palace.htm|accessdate=2007-09-03] after winning the Second Division championship title in 1978–79. He made over 255 league appearances for Crystal Palace, scoring 29 goals, and was Supporters 'Player of The Year' in 1979 and 1980.cite news|title=Vince Hilaire |publisher=Active Hospitality & Events |url=http://www.asmhospitality.com/profiles/vince-hilaire.php|accessdate=2007-09-03] He also played one summer season in the NASL with the San Jose Earthquakes (NASL) in 1982. [cite web| last =| first =| authorlink =| coauthors =| title =NASL All-time Player Register | work =| publisher =| date =| url =http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#H| format =(HTML)| doi =| accessdate =2007-10-04]

He joined Luton Town in July 1984 but made only six appearance before being transferred to Portsmouth a few months later in November 1984, where he made 146 appearances, scoring 25 goals. He moved to Leeds United in the summer of 1988, playing 44 league games and scoring six goals, then moved on to Stoke City in November 1989 on loan, joining them on a permanent transfer in November 1990. He later joined Exeter City in 1991 where he made 33 appearances, scoring four goals, in the 1991–92 season.cite web|title=Vince Hilaire|publisher=playerhistory.com| |url=http://www.playerhistory.com/Default.aspx?page=player_details&playerID=23566|accessdate=2007-09-03] He won international caps for England Youth, B and U21, and although he was a regular contender for senior international honours, he never quite made the full England squad.

He was a professional footballer at a time when racism was rife in English football. He said about a match at Port Vale in 1976, "After about 20 minutes, the manager, then Terry Venables, told me to go and have a warm-up. I came out of the dug-out, and I started jogging around the touchline. I couldn't believe the abuse that was coming at me... animal noises and all the names you think of calling a black person. Any name under the sun. And it frightened me a bit, so I couldn't wait to get back in the dug-out. And I thought, 'Well, if this is the sort of reception I'm going to get, then I don't really want to know'". [cite web|title=Fact Sheet 4: Black Footballers in Britain|publisher=Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research, University of Leicester|url=http://www.le.ac.uk/footballresearch/resources/factsheets/fs4.html |accessdate=2007-09-03]

References

External links

* [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/vincehilaire.htm Profile at Neil Brown's player database]

Persondata
NAME=Hilaire, Vince
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Hilaire, Vince Mark
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Footballer
DATE OF BIRTH=10 October, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH=Forest Hill, London, England
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=