Laidman: Frederick (Fred)

WW2 Guest: 1945-1946 (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Inside Right

Born: Durham: 20-06-1913

Debut: v Everton (a): 22-09-1945

Height & Weight: Unknown

Laidman joined First Division Everton in December 1936 but never made their senior team. In June 1938 he moved to Third Division South Bristol City and scored one goal in ten League appearances in the final season before World War Two brought an end to Football League games. He joined Sunderland in the War years and in 1942-43 he played seventeen games, in 1943-44 he scored six goals in twenty-two games and in 1944-45 he scored ten times in twenty-eight games. In 1944-45 he guested once for Queens Park Rangers and he also guested for Leeds United in the 1945-46 Football League Northern Section and played three games all at Inside Right. The first was on 22nd September1945 when United won a famous victory 2-0 over Everton at Goodison Park. He was in the team the following weekend for the reverse fixture at Elland Road but this time United went down 2-3. He was absent for the next three games but played his third and final game in a 2-8 drubbing by Preston North End at Deepdale. After the War he played with North Eastern League Stockton, who he had previously guested with, before signing for Third Division North Darlington in July 1948 but he only played twice at Feethams before retiring. After retiring he worked as a Railway worker. He died on 20th June 1987 in Durham at the age of seventy-four.