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LES LATCHAM
Born: 22 December 1942
Came from: Burnley Went to: Bradford City
First game: 14 August 1971 Last game: 01 May 1973
Appearances: 90 (90/0) Goals: 13
Born in Crook in County Durham, Latcham was a cultured and strong defender.
Starting as a junior with Burnley, he turned professional in June 1960. He went on to join Argyle after eleven illustrious years in Lancashire, during which time the Turf Moor outfit were becoming a major force in European football. His debut was away at Manchester United in February 1965 and his second game, one week later, was in the FA Cup, again against Manchester United, at Old Trafford. He also played for Burnley in the 1966-67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, helping the club reach the quarter-finals where they narrowly lost to Eintracht Frankfurt over two legs, having overcome Napoli in the previous round and surviving the infamous 'Battle of Naples'. Pictures of a bloodied and bandaged Latcham after a clash of heads with his Italian adversary were widely published, many years ahead of the similarly iconic image of England's Terry Butcher.
He made 178 appearances for Burnley and scored 12 times in all competitions before making the move to Home Park for £15,000 in July 1971. His two years at Home Park saw him earn a reputation as a wonderful passer of the ball under Ellis Stuttard and then, latterly, Tony Waiters and maintaining his eye for goal, even as a defender.
After leaving Argyle, he returned north and joined Bradford City, where he ended his professional career, playing 15 games and scoring twice in the 1974-74 season.
He saw out his playing days with a spell with Lancashire-based Great Harwood and had a brief spell in charge of North East Counties League side Nelson, in 1983, at one stage, some 50 years before, briefly a Football League club for 15 years.
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APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]
The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.
I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.
The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.
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