Adam Stansfield

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Adam Stansfield
A brown-haired footballer holding a silver trophy adorned with green ribbons. He is wearing a green jersey with white sleeves, and white shorts.
Stansfield holding the FA Trophy following Yeovil's victory in 2002
Personal information
Full name Adam Stansfield[1]
Date of birth (1978-09-10)10 September 1978[1]
Place of birth Plymouth, England
Date of death 10 August 2010(2010-08-10) (aged 31)
Place of death Exeter, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Cullompton Rangers
Elmore
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2004 Yeovil Town 55 (14)
2004–2006 Hereford United 62 (25)
2006–2010 Exeter City 142 (37)
Total 259 (76)
International career
2002–2005
England semi-pro
 5 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Adam Stansfield (10 September 1978 – 10 August 2010) was an English professional

The Football League
with all three teams.

Having played for three counties as a child, Stansfield began his career in

England's national semi-professional team, winning the 2005 Four Nations Tournament
.

Stansfield was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in April 2010. He returned to training after surgery and chemotherapy, but died on 10 August that year. A foundation in his name was posthumously set up by his family to provide sporting opportunities and raise awareness of colorectal cancer. He has posthumously been featured on a Flybe airliner livery and a local currency banknote in Exeter.

Early and personal life

Stansfield was born in Plymouth, Devon, as the third of four children, and supported Nottingham Forest.[3] On 2 June 2001 he married Marie, with whom he had three sons.[4] By the 2019–20 season, his son Jay was scoring regularly for Fulham's Under 18 team, and in 2022 joined Exeter on loan from the Craven Cottage side, wearing number 9, the shirt number synonymous with his father's legacy at the club.[5] He made his debut as a substitute during Exeter's 1–0 victory over MK Dons.[6] Devon journalist Gary Andrews remembered Stansfield senior as a man who would spend time with his family after matches while speaking to fans and the press. He wrote that "I had the pleasure of interviewing Adam on a regular basis... I say pleasure, because his answers were thoughtful and intelligent and he came across as a man who was delighted to be back home with his friends and family."[7]

Career

Early career

Stansfield's first club was Evesham Colts under-10s. He played at county level for Worcestershire, Leicestershire and Devon. When his family settled back in Devon he joined Twyford Spartans, scoring 84 goals in 54 matches. He played in

Torquay United, all of which were unsuccessful. His siblings joined the Royal Air Force and he thought of joining them, but continued searching for a breakthrough in professional football.[3]

Yeovil Town

The Football League at Huish Park
, 19 April 2003

In October 2001, Stansfield's performances for Elmore impressed

the final on 12 May he scored the second goal of a 2–0 win over Stevenage Borough at the Villa Park, Birmingham.[12]

On the first day of

The Football League for the first time.[15]

He recovered to feature in the next campaign, making his league debut on 16 August 2003. In that match, Yeovil's first in The Football League, he came on as an 80th-minute substitute for

Swansea City. He was given a rare start in that match as first-choice forward Kevin Gall was away with Wales under-21.[17]

Hereford United

On 14 June 2004, Stansfield returned to the Conference with

Halifax Town.[20]

Exeter City

On 12 June 2006, with his contract expired, Stansfield decided to remain in the Conference, joining Exeter City.[21] He told local radio that his aim was not to achieve promotion or reach a certain tally of goals, but to influence the club's younger players.[7]

He scored nine times in 40 league games in his first season, including two in a 2–1 home win over relegated Southport on 28 April 2007 in order to seal a play-off place.

the final on 20 May at Wembley Stadium, he came on as a 36th-minute substitute for goalscorer Lee Phillips in a 1–2 loss to Morecambe.[24]

On 26 April 2008, Stansfield scored in Exeter's 4–4 draw at

Cambridge United.[26]

He scored 10 goals in 37 league games as they won a second consecutive promotion into

Macclesfield Town (4–1 away) and Gillingham (3–0 home).[27][28] The following campaign, despite never having previously played at as high a level, he was a regular starter for Exeter in League One, scoring eight goals in a season curtailed by his cancer diagnosis.[7]

International career

Stansfield earned five

England national semi-professional team.[29] He featured in the 2002 edition of the Four Nations Tournament, and made his debut in England's opening match, a 1–1 draw with Wales at York Street in Boston on 14 May.[29] Stansfield was injured in the first half of the last match, a 2–0 win against Scotland at Rockingham Road in Kettering on 18 May, while Wales won the title.[29][30] In 2005, while back in the Conference with Hereford, he was again called up for the tournament by manager Paul Fairclough.[31] Stansfield played in two matches[29] as England won the tournament with three wins.[32]

Illness and death

Stansfield suffered from persistent abdominal pain in the early part of 2010, and was admitted to hospital for tests at the end of March. On 8 April 2010, Exeter City confirmed to the media that he had been diagnosed with a form of

BBC Spotlight that "there's little good on this subject... but if there's someone who can deal with it and meet it head on with real purpose, Adam's the man".[33]

Later that month, Stansfield underwent surgery to remove part of his

Ipswich Town in the League Cup.[7][35]

As a mark of respect,

2022–23 season.[citation needed
]

Stansfield's body was taken from St James Park to his funeral service at Exeter Cathedral on 25 August, attended by more than 1,000 mourners. A private family service was held later.[38]

Posthumous recognition

At his funeral, Stansfield's widow Marie had an idea to set up the Adam Stansfield Foundation, which by the fourth anniversary of his death had raised over £150,000. It works in offering children football in Devon, Somerset and Herefordshire, the three counties in which he played professionally, as well as increasing opportunities for the disabled to take part in the sport. The foundation also aims to increase awareness of bowel cancer.[39]

Stansfield continues to be remembered by fans of his former teams. On 9 August 2014, as Exeter started the new season against

2016 FA Vase Final.[40] Exeter and Yeovil agreed that on their meeting at St James Park on 8 August 2015, there would be a minute's applause in the seventh minute and ninth, for the numbers he wore at each club.[41] Earlier the same day, there was also a match between the two clubs' supporters in Topsham, Devon, to raise funds for his foundation.[42]

In March 2011, Elmore named their new stand at Horsdon Park after Stansfield, ahead of a game against

Exeter Pound notes in the city.[45] In recognition of his achievements at Exeter City, Stansfield was in 2017 inducted into the Exeter City Hall of Fame alongside Sidney Thomas, Graham Rees and Peter Hatch.[46] In 2018 Exeter City named their new stand the Stagecoach Adam Stansfield Stand.[47]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup FA Trophy Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Yeovil Town 2001–02[2]
Football Conference
 23 8 0 0 — 8 8 0 0 31 16
2002–03[48] Football Conference 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 1 0
2003–04[16]
 Third Division 31 6 2 0 0 0 — 2[a] 0 35 6
Total 55 14 2 0 0 0 8 8 2 0 67 22
Hereford United 2004–05[49]
Conference National
 39 19 3 1 — 4 1 8[b] 3 54 24
2005–06[50] Conference National 23 6 1 0 — 3 2 8[c] 3 35 11
Total 62 25 4 1 0 0 7 3 16 6 89 35
Exeter City 2006–07[51] Conference National 38 9 1 0 — 1 0 3[d] 1 43 10
2007–08[52]
Conference Premier
 40 11 2 0 — 2 0 3[d] 0 47 11
2008–09[53] League Two 37 10 1 0 1 0 — 1[a] 0 40 10
2009–10[54] League One 27 7 2 1 0 0 — 1[a] 0 30 8
Total 142 37 6 1 1 0 3 0 8 1 160 39
Career total 259 76 12 2 1 0 18 11 26 7 316 96
  1. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  2. ^ One appearances and one goal in Football League Trophy, four appearances in Conference League Cup, two in Conference National play-offs, one appearance and two goals in Herefordshire Senior Cup
  3. ^ Three appearances and one goal in Football League Trophy, three appearances in Conference National play-offs, two appearances and two goals in Herefordshire Senior Cup
  4. ^ a b Appearances in Conference National play-offs

Honours

Yeovil Town

Hereford United

Exeter City

England semi-professional

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 1-85291-665-6
    .
  2. ^ a b "Games played by Adam Stansfield in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Adam's Biography – Early Days". Adam Stansfield Foundation. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Adam's Biography – Outside Of Football". Adam Stansfield Foundation. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  5. ^ Twitter https://twitter.com/officialecfc/status/1565731183450882049. Retrieved 2 September 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ "Exeter City official website". Exeter FC. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Andrews, Gary (11 August 2010). "Adam Stansfield remembered". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  8. ^ Sowden, Steve (11 August 2010). "Football mourns loss of Adam Stansfield, aged 31". Bridgwater Mercury. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Southport 3–0 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 9 November 2001. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Northwich 1–3 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 1 December 2001. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  11. ^ "FA Trophy: Yeovil clinch thriller". The Daily Telegraph. 24 February 2002. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Yeovil lift FA Trophy". BBC Sport. 12 May 2002. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Yeovil 2–2 Gravesend". BBC Sport. 17 August 2002. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Stansfield breaks leg". BBC Sport. 19 August 2002. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Doncaster 0–4 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 12 April 2003. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Games played by Adam Stansfield in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  17. ^ "Yeovil 2–0 Swansea". BBC Sport. 6 September 2003. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  18. ^ "Bulls sign Stansfield". BBC Sport. 14 June 2004. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  19. ^ "Farnborough 0–6 Hereford". BBC Sport. 25 March 2005. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Halifax 2–3 Hereford (aet)". BBC Sport. 20 May 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  21. ^ "Exeter snap up Hereford striker". BBC Sport. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  22. ^ "Exeter 2–1 Southport". BBC Sport. 28 April 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  23. ^ Rae, Richard (9 May 2007). "Exeter prevail in penalty drama to reach Wembley". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  24. ^ "Exeter 1–2 Morecambe". BBC Sport. 20 May 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  25. ^ "Burton 4–4 Exeter". BBC Sport. 26 April 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  26. ^ a b Whyatt, Chris (26 April 2008). "Exeter 1–0 Cambridge Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  27. ^ "Stansfield brace inspires Exeter". Sky Sports. 27 September 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  28. ^ "Gills out-of-sorts as Stansfield bags a brace". Sky Sports. 4 October 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  29. ^
    ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
    .
  30. ^ "Moore skippers England win". Stagsnet. The Non-League Paper. 19 May 2002. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  31. ^ "Boss unveils Four Nations squad". BBC Sport. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  32. ^ a b Garin, Erik (18 October 2012). "Four Nations Semi-professional Tournament". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  33. ^ "Exeter City striker Adam Stansfield has bowel cancer". BBC Sport. 8 April 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  34. ^ "Stansfield surgery a success". Sky Sports. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  35. ^ "Adam Stansfield". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  36. ^ "Daggers-Exeter postponed after Adam Stansfield death". BBC Sport. 12 August 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  37. ^ "Club Retires Number 9 Shirt". exetercityfc.co.uk. 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 24 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  38. ^ "Fans attend funeral of Exeter City star Adam Stansfield". BBC News. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  39. ^ a b "Adam Stansfield Foundation continues to grow four years on from Exeter City striker's death". Exeter Express and Echo. 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  40. ^ Smith, Alan (22 May 2016). "Morpeth come back to win FA Vase and crush Hereford's Wembley dream". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  41. ^ "Exeter City and Yeovil Town to mark Adam Stansfield anniversary". BBC Sport. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  42. ^ "Adam Stansfield Memorial Trophy, Saturday 8 August 2015". Exeter City F.C. Supporters' Trust. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  43. ^ "Elmore honour club legend Adam Stansfield by renaming stand". Western Morning News. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2016.[permanent dead link]
  44. ^ "Flybe 'hopes fans and family will understand' after Adam Stansfield plane is repainted". Exeter Express & Echo. 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  45. ^ D'Albiac, Stephen (9 April 2015). "Image of Yeovil Town legend Adam Stansfield to feature on banknotes in Exeter". Western Gazette. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  46. ^ "Four enter the Hall of Fame". Exeter City F.C. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  47. ^ "📝 Stagecoach Adam Stansfield Stand officially unveiled".
  48. ^ "Games played by Adam Stansfield in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  49. ^ "Games played by Adam Stansfield in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  50. ^ "Games played by Adam Stansfield in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  51. ^ "Games played by Adam Stansfield in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  52. ^ "Games played by Adam Stansfield in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  53. ^ "Games played by Adam Stansfield in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  54. ^ "Games played by Adam Stansfield in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2014.

External links

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