Haddock: Peter Murray (Peter)

1986-1991 (Player Details)

Midfield/Defender

Born: Newcastle-on-Tyne: 09-12-1961

Debut: v Blackburn Rovers (a): 23-08-1986

5’11” 11st 5lb (1986)

#96 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

A former pupil at Cramlington High School, he joined his hometown team as an apprentice in June 1978, turning professional in December 1979. He made his debut for Newcastle United at Queens Park Rangers, despite not being on the team coach which left for the game. He had rushed down to London on the morning of the game, when the Geordie’s regular left back went down with illness. He went on to make fifty-three starts and four more from the bench in League appearances, together with three F.A. Cup and five League Cup starts for Toon and had a loan spell with New Zealand club, Dunedin City, in 1985. He also played seven games for Burnley where he went on loan in March 1986, making his debut at Wrexham on 29th March 1986 an playing his final game at Turf Moor in the game against Preston North End on 22nd April 1986 before returning to the Magpies. “Fish” had earlier received rave reviews from his schoolboy days and was a regular for the Geordies in 1981-82, but lost his position the following season. He seemed destined to play out his time in the Newcastle Reserves but Billy Bremner came along and paid £45,000 to bring him to Leeds United in July 1986. He suffered badly with injuries in the early part of his Leeds career, an achilles injury kept him out of the reckoning for three to four months, and after establishing himself in the United team for the 1987-88 season, in which he won the Leeds “Player of the Year” award, and scored his only goal for Leeds on 21st November 1987 in a 4-2 home win over Swindon Town, in which he beat two players in a surging run from just inside his own half into the visitor's penalty box before beating Tim Flowers with a fine left foot shot, he again was injured in the following season, when he picked up a knee injury. He came back and was one of United’s most consistent performers, missing only two games, in their Second Division promotion season of 1989-90 and he was a crucial part of the central defence along with Chris Fairclough. Although Chris Whyte was bought by Howard Wilkinson at the start of the 1990-91 season, no doubt Haddock would have provided adequate cover in many roles for United, but he sustained a serious knee injury in the Rumbelow Cup Semi-final game against Manchester United at Elland Road on 24th February 1991, which prematurely ended his career and he was forced to retire in June 1991. He sold insurance for a while then ran a Bakery/Sandwich shop with his wife in Cramlington before becoming a postman and then went on to his present job as a courier and he lives by the sea at Seaton Sluice in his native Northumberland. Leeds United granted him a testimonial on Monday 21st March 1994 when the current Leeds team of the time took on Bradford City with special guest appearances from Vinnie Jones, David Batty, Bobby Davison, Peter Beardsley and Chris Kamara.