Kamara: Christopher (Chris)

1990-1991 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Full Back

Born: Middlesbrough: 25-12-1957

Debut: v Hull City (h): 10-02-1990

6’1” 12st (1989)

#93 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

After initially serving in the Royal Navy, Kamara began as an apprentice at Portsmouth, turning professional in January 1976, which began a long and varied career of over six hundred games, predominantly with clubs in the lower reaches of the Football League. After scoring seven goals in sixty-three games, seven of which were as a substitute, and one goal in four starts in the F.A. Cup and one start in the League Cup, in his first spell at Portsmouth a £20,000 move took him to Swindon Town on 10th August 1977. He made his Swindon debut at Inside Right on 13th August 1977 in a 3-1 away win at Swansea City in the League Cup and his first goal was on his League debut in a 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on 20th August 1977. After four seasons at Swindon he played his final game for them in a 0-0 draw at home to Brentford on 2nd May 1981 before he returned to Pompey in August 1981 for £50,000. He scored twenty-one goals in a hundred and thirty-three starts and fourteen games from the bench in the League, four goals in fourteen starts in the F.A. Cup and one goal in eighteen starts and four games from the bench in the League Cup during his first spell at Swindon. He left Fratton Park again after only three months, after eleven games without scoring in the League and one goal in three starts in the League Cup, to join Brentford in a player-exchange deal involving striker David Crown. He managed twenty-eight goals in a hundred and fifty-two appearances, of which two were from the bench, two in thirteen starts in the F.A. Cup, one in fifteen starts in the League Cup and one goal in seven starts in other games for the Bees. On 21st August 1985 he joined Swindon Town for a second time, for £14,500 and it took him quite a while to break into the first team not making the bench until 14th December 1985 in a home game with Halifax Town was he was an unused substitute. This was followed by coming on as a seventy-fifth minute substitute on 22nd December 1985 at home to Hereford United and then two games as an unused substitute before he started the game at Tranmere Rovers on 4th January 1986, only to be substituted after sixty-three minutes. It was not until March that he finally cemented his place in the starting eleven and his first goal did not come until the fifty-seventh minute of a 4-1 home win over Leyton Orient on 27th April 1986. He remained a regular until he played his final game on 20th February 1988 in a 1-2 defeat at Shrewsbury Town. In his second spell at the County Ground he scored six times in eighty-six starts and one game from the bench in the League games, as well as making five starts in the F.A. Cup, nine in the League Cup and twelve starts and one game as a substitute in other games in the Full Members Cup etc.He then moved to Stoke City on 4th July 1988 for £27,500. At the Victoria Ground he scored five goals in sixty League starts once in four League Cup starts, once in three Full Members Cup starts and started four F.A. Cup ties without scoring. Kamara, with a reputation of being a ‘hard man’ joined Leeds on 29th January 1990 for £150,000. The former dockyard apprentice was extremely popular in his short stay at Leeds, as the experienced midfielder proved a useful asset after being signed towards the end of the 1990 Division Two title race. He was injured at Coventry City on 24th November 1990 and sidelined for eight months it was a year before he next played in the Leeds starting eleven but only managed two League, one League Cup and a Full Members Cup game before he was transferred to Luton Town on 1st November 1991 for £150,000. He had loan spells at Sheffield United from 29th November 1992 to 19th February 1993, where he had eight starts and two games from the bench in the League, without scoring, and then at Middlesbrough from 19th February 1993 until the end of the season, where he had three starts and two games from the bench, without scoring. He had not scored but had made forty-nine starts in the League, one in the F.A. Cup, two in the League Cup and two in the Full Members Cup for the Hatters before securing a permanent move to Sheffield United on a free transfer on 26th June 1993. He only started fifteen League games with another as a substitute as well as one start in the F.A. Cup for the Blades without scoring before he returned to West Yorkshire on 25th July 1994 as Player/Assistant Manager with Bradford City, where he was appointed Manager in March 1996, after retiring as a player in 1995. He scored three times in twenty-three League games, one of which was as a substitute, for the Bantams. He also started two F.A. Cup ties, three League Cup ties and two Full Members Cup games in which he scored one goal in the latter competition. Within two months he led them out at Wembley in the Division Two play-off Final against Notts County. Qualifying for the Play-offs in sixth place, they thought any chance they had had disappeared when third-placed Blackpool came to Valley Parade and won 2-0 in their home leg. But, against all the odds City went to Bloomfield Road and won 3-0. They went on to beat Notts County 2-0 at Wembley on 26th May 1996 to gain promotion to the EPL.He left Valley Parade to become Manager of Stoke City from 22nd January to 8th April 1998. He became a well-known and respected TV pundit with Sky Sport. He also writes a column in the Sun newspaper. Kamara currently lives Wakefield. On 28th January 2012, at the age of fifty-four Kamara played for Spar Mid Wales League side Welshpool. On 28th March 2012 both he and Paul Merson played for the same team.