It's sad to report the death at the age of 78 former Coventry City player John Tudor after a long struggle with Alzheimer's. John John was a striker pulled from non-league by Jimmy Hill who played a key part in the 1967 promotion team and the first season in the First Division before going on to have a long and successful career with good spells at Sheffield United and Newcastle United amongst other clubs.
Jimmy Hill’s knack for spotting young football talent is largely overlooked when considering the great man’s career but Coventry City benefited from that skill enormously in the 1960s. He encouraged the development of youth players such as Mick Coop, Willie Carr and Ronnie Rees and had an eye for late developers such as Ernie Machin, Dave Clements and John Tudor. John had almost given up hope of playing professional football after being turned down by numerous clubs including Derby, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough. He was playing for his local team Ilkeston Town in the Midland League and his manager Jim Raynor recommended him to City in late 1965. City took him on a month’s loan. He made a big impression scoring twelve goals in five ‘A’ team games, including six in one game in March 1966 he scored 30 minutes into his debut for the reserves against Ipswich. A professional contract was forthcoming and within a month of the start of the 1966-67 season he made his first team debut in a 3-0 home win over Bury. John, playing as a double striker with Bobby Gould, didn’t score but impressed with his strong heading ability.
He kept his place in a run of nine games that autumn and after scoring in his second game, at Preston, he netted a further four goals. Back in the reserves he was top scorer with 13 goals in 23 games. He made a further seven first team appearances in the promotion season including deputising for the injured leading scorer Gould in the final three games. Gould was injured in the game at Cardiff and John was thrown into the biggest game in the club’s history against Wolves in front of a record crowd of 51,452. City won 3-1 and although John wasn’t on the score-sheet he constantly caused the Wolves defence trouble with his aerial ability. In total that season he scored nine goals in sixteen games.
One of his most memorable games came in City’s second game in the top flight. An already tough game away to Nottingham Forest was made even harder when captain George Curtis was carried off after just four minutes with a broken leg. Tudor moved back to centre-half and substitute Gould came on to score two goals as City earned an amazing 3-3 draw. According to the Coventry Evening Telegraph ‘Time and time again, his [Tudor] blond head soared up to check Forest’s wave of attacks as he out jumped and almost completely subdued the villain of the piece, Frank Wignall.’ John later remembered it well, ‘Several City players were angry at Wignall’s challenge on George and wanted to do him. It wasn’t hard to mark him as he was running scared after the incident’. Leter that season at West Brom he again played at centre-half, marking the great Jeff Astle. John nullified the threat of Astle and City gained their first away win of the season.
That first season in Division 1 however, Tudor struggled, as did the whole team, and as his scoring dried up he was asked to play in defence during a crisis. He netted only four goals in 39 games but never gave less than 100% as the Sky Blues survived with grit and determination. In November 1968 he lost his place to Tony Hateley and joined Second Division Sheffield United, who had rejected him as a youngster. In total he made 77 appearances for the Sky Blues and scored 15 goals. The fee of £65,000 was deemed to be good business for the club who had spent heavily to stay in the top division.
At Bramall Lane he quickly regained his scoring touch, scoring two goals in each of his first two games. ‘I had wonderful service from two of the best wingers around, Alan Woodward and Gil Reece, and Tony Currie was a wonderful creator of chances too.’ John stayed at the Lane for two years but really made his name after moving to First Division Newcastle in 1971 and playing alongside the legendary Malcolm Macdonald. In five years at St James’ Park he scored 53 goals in 164 games including six against the Sky Blues and became something of a legend himself. The highlight of his Tyneside career was the 1974 FA Cup run, which saw Newcastle reach the final only to lose 0-3 to Liverpool.
He left Newcastle in 1976 and had brief spells with First Division Stoke City and Belgian club KAA Ghent before being forced to retire through a knee injury in 1978. He returned to the North East and ran a pub in Bedlington, becoming North Shields player/coach for a while as well as assisting Gateshead. Later he returned to his native Derbyshire and ran at pub at Ilkeston.
In 1994 he moved to Minnesota in the USA to take over the post of Director of Coaching for Tonka United Soccer Association, a non-profit making organisation which “fosters the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of youth” in the Minnetonka [a large suburb of Minneapolis] area through soccer. In John’s time at Tonka United, the soccer programme grew from 17 to over 60 teams and a league, which started with 300 to 400 boys and girls, increased to 2,000 youth participants. John himself held a US Soccer Federation Youth Coaching Licence. He also monnlighted as assistant coach to Minnesota Thunder in the USA ‘A’ League, the country’s Second Division.
John and his wife Ann continued to live in the Minneapolis area after he retired but were regular visitors to the UK and always fitted in a game at the CBS as well as visiting St James' Park. He was at Wembley for the Checkatrade Final in 2017 as a guest of CCFPA and made his last visit at Legends Day in 2019.
Ann & John at Wembley 2017
RIP John
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