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Alan Peacock: The Yorkshire born striker who missed out on 1966 World Cup through injury

The Yorkshire Post

Published5th Jul 2025, 06:00 BST

He won six caps for England but missed out on Sir Alf Ramsey’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad after suffering a serious knee injury.

He served Boro for a decade, having joined the club in 1954 and played alongside Brian Clough.

In 1964 he was sold to Leeds for £55,000 to help Don Revie’s successful promotion campaign.

Middlesbrough Football Club forward Alan Peacock at Charlton Athletic for a League Division 1 match, London, September 20th 1958. Charlton Athletic won 1-0. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)placeholder image

Middlesbrough Football Club forward Alan Peacock at Charlton Athletic for a League Division 1 match, London, September 20th 1958. Charlton Athletic won 1-0. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

That season Peacock scored eight goals in 14 games and stayed at Leeds for a further three seasons, netting 30 goals in 65 games.

But continued frequent injuries forced his sale to Plymouth Argyle in 1967 for £10,000. He played only one season there before being forced to retire at 30.

His scoring rate earned him a place in England’s 1962 World Cup squad.

He made his international debut in the group four victory over Argentina and went on to earn five more caps, scoring three goals for England – two of which came in a home international against Wales in 1962, which England won 4-0.

Peacock returned to Middlesbrough after retirement and ran a newsagent’s shop for many years.

He was diagnosed with dementia in 2018.

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