John Polston
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = John Polston
| image =
| fullname = John David Polston
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1968|6|10}}
| birth_place = Walthamstow, England
| position = Defender
| youthyears1= 1984–1985
| youthclubs1= Tottenham Hotspur
| years1 = 1985–1990 | clubs1 = Tottenham Hotspur | caps1 = 24 | goals1 = 1
| years2 = 1990–1998 | clubs2 = Norwich City | caps2 = 215| goals2 = 8
| years3 = 1998–2001 | clubs3 = Reading | caps3 = 18 | goals3 = 1
| totalcaps = 257 | totalgoals = 10
| nationalyears1 = 1985 | nationalteam1 = England U17 | nationalcaps1 = 2 | nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1985–1986 | nationalteam2 = England Youth | nationalcaps2 = 2 | nationalgoals2 = 0
}}
John David Polston (born 10 June 1968) is an English football coach and former professional footballer.
He was a defender who began his career with Tottenham, before notably playing for Norwich City where he featured in the Premier League and UEFA Cup. He later retired with a spell in the Football League with Reading.
Playing career
In March 1990, Polston and his brother Andy, became the first brothers to play together in the Spurs first team since 1912, although neither was a regular player and Andy played just once for Spurs. John left Spurs in 1990, after making 28 appearances for the club, when Norwich manager Dave Stringer paid £300,000 for him.
Polston was a key member of the Norwich team that finished third in the inaugural season of the Premier League (1992–93) and captained the side in the club's first ever European tie (in the UEFA Cup against Vitesse Arnhem) the following season, scoring the second goal in a 3–0 win. In the run-in to the end of the 1992–93 season, he scored a vital winning goal against Aston Villa at Carrow Road the day after his wife had given birth to their first child, Ron Aidy Polston.{{cite web |title=The last time Norwich City led English football's top flight - 25 years ago today - thanks to a special goal |url=https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city/the-last-time-norwich-led-english-football-s-top-flight-1-5447676 |website=EDP24 |publisher=Eastern Daily Press |access-date=12 October 2019 |date=24 March 2018 |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031170638/https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city/the-last-time-norwich-led-english-football-s-top-flight-1-5447676 |url-status=dead }}
Following his release from Norwich in 1998, Polston joined Reading. Polston retired from football in April 2001 after failing to recover from a knee injury.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ex-canaries.co.uk/players/polston.htm |title=John Polston |access-date=11 October 2013 |publisher=ex-canaries.co.uk}} John is now a personal trainer.{{Cite web |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.polston/ |title=John Polston Personal Trainer |access-date=11 October 2013 |publisher=homepage.ntlworld.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106092025/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.polston/ |archive-date=6 November 2013 |df=dmy-all }}
Coaching career
In September 2018, Polston join John Madejski Academy's Football team as Lead Development Squad coach.{{cite web |title=STAFF UPDATE |url=https://twitter.com/JMAReadingFC/status/1037438553465253894 |website=twitter.com |publisher=JMA Reading FC Twitter |access-date=5 September 2018 |date=5 September 2018}}
Personal life
References
{{reflist}}
- {{cite book |title=Canary Citizens |first1=Mark |last1=Davage |first2=John |last2=Eastwood |first3=Kevin |last3=Platt |publisher=Jarrold Publishing|year=2001|ISBN=0-7117-2020-7}}
External links
- [http://www.ex-canaries.co.uk/players/polston.htm Career information at ex-canaries.co.uk]
- {{Soccerbase|6402}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111006072509/http://www.wokinghamandemmbrookfc.com/ Wokingham and Embrook FC homepage]
- [http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/players/profile.career-history.html/john-polston Premier League Profile]
{{Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polston, John}}
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Category:Norwich City F.C. players
Category:Premier League players
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Footballers from the London Borough of Waltham Forest
Category:People from Walthamstow
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