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John Pender (footballer)

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John Pender
Personal information
Full name John Patrick Pender[1]
Date of birth (1963-11-19) 19 November 1963 (age 61)[1]
Place of birth Luton,[1] England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
0000–1982 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1982–1985 Wolverhampton Wanderers 117 (3)
1985–1987 Charlton Athletic 41 (0)
1987–1990 Bristol City 83 (3)
1990–1995 Burnley 171 (8)
1995–1997 Wigan Athletic 70 (1)
1997–1998 Rochdale 14 (0)
Total 496 (15)
International career
1983–1985 Republic of Ireland U21 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Patrick Pender (born 19 November 1963) is an Irish retired professional footballer who played as a central defender.

Career

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Born in Luton, Pender made his professional debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Swansea City in March 1982, aged 18.[3] During his career at Wolves, he helped the team win promotion to the First Division in 1982–83, and was capped five times by the Republic of Ireland under-21 side.

Pender moved to Charlton Athletic in 1985, once again earning promotion to the First Division in 1985–86, before joining Bristol City in 1987.

In 1990, Pender joined Burnley for a fee of £70,000.[4] At Burnley, he was part of the squad that won the Fourth Division in 1991–92, and also played in the 2–1 win against Stockport County in the 1994 Second Division play-off final. He is one of only two Burnley captains to have led the side to two promotions, the other being Martin Dobson.

In August 1995, Pender joined Wigan Athletic for a "five-figure" fee.[5] He helped the club win the Third Division in 1996–97.

In 1997 he was signed by Rochdale for a fee of £11,500, set by a tribunal.[6] Pender made 14 appearances for the club, the last of which came in February 1998 after suffering a serious knee injury in a 0–2 defeat against Scunthorpe United.[7] He was unable to recover from the injury and was released later that year.[8]

Personal life

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After retiring from football, Pender settled in Telford, Shropshire, and worked as a bus driver.[9]

In 2020, Pender was diagnosed with motor neurone disease,[9][4] which his family attributes in part to head injuries sustained while playing.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "John Pender". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  3. ^ "John Pender". sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b Boden, Chris. "Promotion-winning former Clarets captain John Pender diagnosed with motor neurone disease". Burnley Express. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Defensive swoop". Liverpool Echo. 18 August 1995. p. 59 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Dalglish tempted by £6m Montella". The Independent. 5 August 1997. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  7. ^ Brookes, Mike (16 February 1998). "Doomsday Dale". Sport. Manchester Evening News. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Irish in Britain". Irish Times. 14 December 1998. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  9. ^ a b "John Pender on his battle with MND: 'I can't play with my grandchildren – but that's life, I'm getting on with it'". The Athletic. 30 December 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  10. ^ Pender, Laura (31 March 2021). Written evidence submitted by Lauren Pender (Report).
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