In The News

Former footballer Alf Fields passes away

Former footballer Alf Fields passes away

THE former Arsenal footballer Alf Fields has passed away. He was 92.

Mr. Fields joined the Gunners in 1936 and stayed with the North London club, in various roles, for 47 years.

But although he made 200 appearances at various levels for the club, his first team career was remarkably short and tinged with bad luck.

He made his first team debut in 1939 against Blackpool, but was only to play two more games before the outbreak of war and going off to serve in the Royal Artillery — seeing action in Italy and North Africa.

After the war Mr. Fields found it difficult to establish a place in the Arsenal first team as Leslie Compton was the side’s dominant centre-half. But when Compton decided to drop football in favour of playing professional cricket alongside his brother Denis, Mr. Fields had his chance.

He began to make his mark in the side during a run of five successive wins early in the 1947 season, but then disaster struck when he suffered a serious knee injury when his keeper George Swindin ran into him in a freak accident.

Sadly, Mr. Fields was to make just two more appearances in the first team after returning from injury, but he never really made a full recovery and by 1952 his playing career was over.

He continued to work at Arsenal in a number of roles, including coach and physiotherapist, until his retirement in 1983.

His time at the club included a foray into the movies when he appeared in a cameo role in The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939).

Mr. Fields is believed to have been Arsenal’s oldest former player.

 

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