John Sainty (footballer)

John Albert Sainty (24 March 1946 – 1 April 2023) was an English professional footballer in the 1960s and 1970s who went on to manage Chester City.

John Sainty
Personal information
Full name John Albert Sainty
Date of birth (1946-03-24)24 March 1946
Place of birth Poplar, London, England
Date of death 1 April 2023(2023-04-01) (aged 77)
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1961–1963 Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1963–1967 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0)
1967–1970 Reading 71 (19)
1970–1974 AFC Bournemouth 118 (20)
1972 → Mansfield Town (loan) 3 (0)
1974–1976 Aldershot 29 (0)
International career
England Schoolboys
Managerial career
1982–1983 Chester City
1986–1987 Armthorpe Welfare
1987 Mossley
2004–? Bemerton Heath Harlequins (head coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

As a player, Sainty (a forward) progressed through the youth ranks at Tottenham Hotspur and represented England Schoolboys, but he left White Hart Lane in 1967 after failing to make a Football League appearance. Over the next nine years Sainty played for Reading, AFC Bournemouth, Mansfield Town and Aldershot. He ended his career with 221 Football League appearances and 39 goals to his name.

Coaching and managerial career

Sainty began a coaching career under John Bond.[1] The duo worked together at Norwich City and Manchester City before Sainty went alone by taking the Chester manager's job (initially on a caretaker basis) in November 1982 after Cliff Sear stepped down.

Sainty led the club to a mid-table finish in Division Four in 1982–83 and the semi-finals of the Football League Trophy, but financial problems meant Sainty was told to halve the wage bill at the end of the season.[2] Most of his signings were non-contract players such as Paul Manns, Paul Raynor, Trevor Phillips, John Ryan and Dennis Wann,[3] while youngsters including Peter Bulmer and Phil Harrington became regulars in the side. Chester endured a miserable start to 1983–84 and had just one league win to their name when Sainty left the club in November 1983. They had though overturned a 3–0 first-leg deficit to knock Bolton Wanderers out of the League Cup in the first round.

Sainty teamed up again with Bond at Burnley, before managing non-league sides Armthorpe Welfare and Mossley. He later became assistant manager to Danny Bergara at Stockport County and worked as academy director at Southampton.[4] He then became head coach at Bemerton Heath Harlequins.[5]

Death

Sainty died on 1 April 2023, at the age of 77.[6][7][8]

Honours

AFC Bournemouth

References
  1. Turner & White (1993). The Breedon Book of Football Managers. p. 218. ISBN 1-873626-32-0.
  2. Chas Sumner (1997). On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City 1885–1997. p. 99. ISBN 1-874427-52-6.
  3. Chas Sumner (1997). On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City 1885–1997. pp. 98–99. ISBN 1-874427-52-6.
  4. "Webb was no reject!". This is Hampshire. 13 December 2000. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  5. "Norwich City profile". ex-cancaries.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  6. "Club Mourns Passing of 1970/71 Promotion Hero Sainty". AFCB. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  7. "Former Southampton FC scout John Sainty has died aged 77". Southern Daily Echo. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  8. "Sad to announce to the football community the passing of my father-in-law John Sainty on 1st April". Marc Brown on Twitter. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
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