Alf Kirchen
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 26 August 1913 | ||
Place of birth | Shouldham, Norfolk, England | ||
Date of death | 18 August 1999 | (aged 85)||
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder#WingerRight winger | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1934–1935 | Norwich City | 14 | (11) |
1935–1943 | Arsenal | 92 | (38) |
International career | |||
1935–1937 | England | 3 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Alfred John Kirchen (26 August 1913 – 18 August 1999) was an English footballer.
Born in Shouldham, Norfolk, Kirchen played for local clubs, and for his county at youth level. He was signed by Tom Parker, the manager of Second Division Norwich City in 1934 and he immediately impressed, scoring seven goals in fourteen League games, and three in four FA Cup games for the Canaries. He soon caught the eye of First Division champions Arsenal, and was signed for £6,000 in March 1935, at the age of 21.
Kirchen arrived too late at Arsenal to pick up a League winner's medal (the club completed a hat-trick of titles that year), but he still made an immediate impact, scoring twice on his debut against Arsenal's arch-rivals
Kirchen became well known for his fierce shooting; unusually fast and immensely powerful, he was equally at home on either wing, for he could hit a ball left or right-footed, with equal facility, which soon attracted international attention; he picked up 3 caps and scored 2 goals for England on a 1937 tour of Scandinavia, his debut coming against Norway on 14 May 1937, and his final match being against Finland on 20 May of the same year. Despite these performances however, he was never picked again.
He finally picked up a League winners' medal as Arsenal won the
Kirchen later returned to his old club Norwich City, as a trainer, before leaving football to become a
Honours
References
- ^ "1937–38 competition statistics". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ "1938/39 F.A. Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
Sources
- Harris, Jeff (1995). Hogg, Tony (ed.). Arsenal Who's Who, Cliff Bastin Remembers: The Autobiography of Arsenal's Greatest Outside-Left, Bernard Joy: Forward, Arsenal!. Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.