| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kenneth Henry Albert Fish[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 February 1914[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Cape Town, South Africa[1] | ||
| Date of death | 4 August 2005 (aged 91)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Stoke-on-Trent, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Railway Association | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1937 | Aston Villa | ||
| 1937–1938 | Port Vale | 5 | (1) |
| 1938–1939 | Young Boys | ||
| 1939 | Port Vale | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| South Africa[2] | 4 | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1951 | Port Vale (caretaker) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kenneth Henry Albert Fish (20 February 1914 – 4 August 2005) was a South African footballer who played for English club Port Vale and Swiss side Young Boys. He later served behind the scenes at Port Vale, Birmingham City, and Oxford United.
Playing career
Fish played for the Railway Association (in South Africa) before moving to England to play for Aston Villa in January 1937.[4] He had been recommended to manager Jimmy Hogan by Hugo Meisl.[5] He signed with Port Vale of the Third Division North for a sizeable fee in November 1937.[1] He scored his first goal in a 3–1 defeat to Carlisle United at Brunton Park on 20 November.[1] He played just six games (five in the Football League and one FA Cup) and was sold to Swiss side Young Boys in October 1938.[1] He returned to Vale as the assistant trainer in July 1939 and re-signed as a player the following month.[1]
World War II and post-war coaching career
World War II disrupted football in 1939, and as a result, Fish enlisted in the Army in September 1939.[1] He served as a warrant officer and a remedial specialist.[2] He guested for Stafford Rangers during the war and, after its conclusion, was appointed as Port Vale's trainer in July 1946.[1] He was temporarily in control of team affairs in November and December 1951 after Ivor Powell's unsuccessful tenure, winning one game.[1][6]
In March 1958 he moved on to Birmingham City as trainer-coach, a position he later held at Oxford United.[1] Fish worked at Oxford United for more than twenty years. At the end of the 1986 League Cup final at Wembley, in which Oxford beat QPR 3–0, the manager, Maurice Evans, insisted that Fish go up to the royal box to receive the medal that would usually have gone to the manager.[7]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 1936–37 | Second Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Port Vale | 1937–38 | Third Division North | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 102. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ a b c Sherwin, Phil (2013). Men of Steele. Hanley: Pass. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-9926579-1-8.
- ^ Fielding, Rob (12 January 2025). "The 1939-40 Port Vale season preview". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Aston Villa Player Database". www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Fielding, Rob; Whitehouse, Lindsay. "Five of the best (worst): surprisingly poor Port Vale seasons". One Vale Fan. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "Cult Hero 48: Ken Fish". onevalefan.co.uk. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ Struthers, Greg (11 January 2004). "SportsFile: Caught in Time: Oxford United win the League Cup, 1986". The Times. Retrieved 7 May 2009.[dead link]
- ^ Ken Fish at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- 1914 births
- 2005 deaths
- Soccer players from Cape Town
- South African men's soccer players
- Men's association football forwards
- White South African people
- South Africa men's international soccer players
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Aston Villa F.C. players
- Port Vale F.C. players
- Stafford Rangers F.C. wartime guest players
- Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland
- BSC Young Boys players
- English Football League players
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Association football coaches
- Port Vale F.C. non-playing staff
- Birmingham City F.C. non-playing staff
- Oxford United F.C. non-playing staff
- South African soccer managers
- Expatriate football managers in England
- Port Vale F.C. managers
- English Football League managers
- British Army soldiers
- Military personnel from Cape Town
- 20th-century South African sportsmen
