1. Derek William Spence was born on 18 January 1952 and is a Northern Irish former professional footballer.
21 Facts About Derek Spence
1. 2.
Derek Spence played as a forward in a career spanning seventeen years from 1969 to 1986.
3.
Derek Spence played for clubs in Northern Ireland, England, Greece, the Netherlands and Hong Kong.
4.
Derek Spence spent three years in the Oldham reserves at Boundary Park.
5.
Derek Spence went on to make just six league appearances for the Latics, before joining Bury in 1972.
6.
In 1976, Derek Spence joined Second Division side Blackpool, and made his debut for the Seasiders against Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest on 16 October.
7.
Derek Spence complemented the twin striking powers of Mickey Walsh and fellow new signing Bob Hatton.
8.
Derek Spence then joined Greek Alpha Ethniki club Olympiacos, where he made 21 league appearances, scoring six goals.
9.
Derek Spence invited me back to Blackpool and, to be honest, I jumped at the chance.
10.
On 26 December 1979, in a game against Hull City at Bloomfield Road, Derek Spence suffered an injury serious enough that it eventually forced his premature retirement from the game.
11.
Derek Spence scored 32 goals in 104 games over a two-year period.
12.
Between 1982 and 1986, Derek Spence spent spells with Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam and Hong Kong clubs Sea Bee and Hong Kong Rangers before finishing his professional career with a second spell at Bury in 1986.
13.
Derek Spence retired in 1986 at the age of 34 and eventually retired in Non-League football with Oldham Town in the North West Counties Football League.
14.
Derek Spence won his first Northern Ireland cap on 16 March 1975, in a single-goal victory over Yugoslavia in Belfast.
15.
Derek Spence went on to win 29 caps in total, scoring three goals.
16.
Derek Spence ended his international career after discovering, via Teletext, that Billy Bingham had left him out of the 1982 World Cup squad.
17.
Derek Spence ran his own off-licences in Walmersley, Bury, Greater Manchester, firstly, and then in Hambleton, Lancashire.
18.
Derek Spence eventually returned to his first love of football by setting up his own coaching school, Sportslink.
19.
Derek Spence is married to Lyn, with whom he has two children, Thomas and Erin.
20.
Derek Spence has two children, Leanna and Matthew, from his first marriage.
21.
Derek Spence released a book about the early part of his life and playing career in 2019.