Eric Hayward

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Eric Hayward (Lionel Eric Hayward) was an English football defender born on 2 August 1917 in Newcastle-under-Lyme. He started at Port Vale as an amateur in 1934, turned professional in 1936, and played 35 league games for Vale before moving to Blackpool in May 1937. He spent the next 15 years at Blackpool, making 269 league appearances and taking part in two FA Cup finals at Wembley (1948 and 1951), both of which the team lost. During World War II he guest-played for several clubs while serving in the Army, and he helped Blackpool win the 1943 League War Cup. After the war he helped Blackpool stay competitive in the top flight, including a third-place finish in 1950–51, before retiring in 1952. He finished with around 300 appearances for Blackpool in all competitions, and was the elder brother of Basil and Doug Hayward. Hayward died in 1976 in Blackpool, England.