Where Are They Now – Kevin Summerfield

Peverell Green travels back to more recent times to take a look at the career of Kevin Summerfield for this next instalment in the Where Are They Now series.

KEVIN SUMMERFIELD – Born 7th January 1959 Walsall, W.Midlands.

Kevin began his football career as a striker in the West Brom youth team in 1975, in his first season he was part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup.
He played six times for England Youth team, in 1976 he played against Spain and W.Germany and the following year against Wales twice, Belgium and Greece. On January 1977 he signed apprentice forms with West Brom. Kevin spent another four seasons at the Hawthorns making eleven appearances scoring four goals before being released in May 1982 and joining Birmingham on a free transfer.

He was only on a six month contract at St. Andrews and after making eight appearances and scoring two goals Kevin left Birmingham to join his hometown club, Walsall.
He spent eighteen months at Walsall scoring fairly regularly and with his contract expiring clubs in a higher division started to take an interest in him.
In July 1984 after scoring 19 goals from 62 appearances Kevin signed for Cardiff.

His time at Cardiff was fairly short lived, after only twelve appearances and scoring one goal Argyle manager Dave Smith managed to tempt Kevin to move to the Westcountry.
He joined Argyle on 21st December 1984 and made debut the following day in a 3-1 home win over Millwall with Russell Coughlin, Gordon Staniforth and Tommy Tynan scoring the goals. With Gordon and Tommy regularly scoring Dave Smith decided to play Kevin deeper than he was used to, more of an attacking midfielder.
Kevin scored his first goal in March in a 2-1 home win over Doncaster with Tommy Tynan scoring the second goal. The following Saturday the same two players scored again in a 2-0 win at Rotherham.

1985-86 was a good year for Argyle, finishing as runners up behind Reading.
Kevin scored his first goal of the season in a first round League Cup match against Exeter at Home Park in a 2-1 win with Gerry McElhinney scoring the second goal. His first league goal of the season came in a 2-1 home win over Wigan with Russell Coughlin getting the second goal. Kevin scored again in the next home match, in the second round of the FA Cup Kevin scored the third goal in a 3-0 home win over non-leaguers Maidstone with Leigh Cooper and Garry Nelson also scoring. In the next home game, a 4-2 win over Darlington, he scored the fourth after Kevin Hodges (2) and Steve Cooper had scored the first three.
On New Year’s Day Cardiff came to Home Park and went away with a point after an exciting 4-4 draw with Garry Nelson, Kevin, John Clayton and Kevin Hodges scoring for Argyle.
In March Argyle went to Wolves and won 3-0 with goals from Russell Coughlin, Kevin and John Clayton securing the points.
In the next away game Argyle won again, this time 2-1 at Chesterfield with Kevin and Clive Goodyear scoring for the Greens.
Kevin’s next goal coincided with Tommy Tynan returning to the club on loan, an own goal, two from Tommy and one from Kevin made it an easy win for Argyle, but not so good for Tommy’s parent club Rotherham who were the victims.

Kevin started the next season scoring goals for fun, outscoring recognised strikers Steve Cooper and Tommy Tynan.
By the end of September he had scored six goals. He got his first on the opening day of the season in a 2-2 draw at Bradford City with Russell Coughlin scoring the first goal. Three days later in a first round League Cup game at Cardiff he scored the fourth Argyle goal in what must have been an enthralling match with Argyle losing 5-4, Gordon Nisbet and Russell Coughlin (2) were also on the scoresheet. In the next away game Argyle beat Hull 3-0 with Steve Cooper scoring twice and Kevin the other.
Ten day after that one Kevin scored the first goal in a 3-2 defeat at Ipswich in the Full Members Cup, Tommy Tynan scored the other Argyle goal.
The following Saturday he scored in a 1-1 draw at Barnsley and in the next game scored the first goal in a 2-1 win at Blackburn with Darran Rowbotham scoring the second.
Six goals in five weeks not a bad return for a midfielder.
Kevin’s next goal came in a 2-0 win at home to Ipswich with Russell Coughlin also scoring.
In the next home game he scored the third goal in a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace with Tommy Tynan scoring the other two.

In the FA Cup third round against Bristol City, Kevin scored in a 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate in the replay nine days later Kevin scored again in a 3-1 win with goals from Garry Nelson and Tommy Tynan seeing Argyle into the next round.
The following Saturday after the cup game Argyle beat Bradford City 3-2 at Home Park with Tommy Tynan and the two Kevin’s, Summerfield and Hodges, also scoring.
His next came in a 1-1 home draw with Blackburn. Kevin’s thirteenth and last goal of the season came on 20th April at Fratton Park in a 1-0 win against Pompey who would finish the season as runners up and gain promotion to the Premiership.

Kevin’s first goals of the 1987-88 season came in high scoring games. The first in August came when he scored the first in a 6-1 hammering of Huddersfield at Home Park with goals from Tommy Tynan (2), Nicky Law, Stewart Evans and Keith Furphy sending the visitor’s home pointless.
In October Leeds came to Home Park and were soundly beaten 6-3, after Mark Smith had opened the scoring, two goals each from Kevin and John Clayton and one from Tommy Tynan making sure the journey back to Yorkshire a seemed a long one.
His next came in a 2-1 win at Ipswich with Nicky Law scoring the decisive second goal.
Kevin then scored in a 3-2 defeat at Millwall with Kevin Hodges also on the scoresheet.

Although no one knew it as the 1988-89 season started, it would be a defining one as far as Kevin’s career was concerned. After scoring his first of the season in a 3-0 win at Hereford in the first round of the League Cup, he got the first with Nicky Marker and Sean McCarthy also scoring.
His next came in a 1-1 home draw with Bournemouth he followed in up with the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win at home to Watford. Five days after that goal he scored the second in a FA Cup third round game at home to Cambridge in a 2-0 win with Tommy Tynan also scoring. It set up a tie in the next round at home to Everton. 27,566 crowded into Home Park to see Argyle deservedly take the lead through a Sean McCarthy goal with Everton equalised from a highly debatable penalty. In the replay at Goodison Park with Kevin having one of his best games in a green shirt and over-robust tackle from Graham Sharp broke Kevin’s leg and he was out of football for a year.

When he returned in 1989 his appearances were limited, only making eleven all season and scoring one goal, that came on Boxing Day in a 2-2 draw at home to West Brom, he got the second after Andy Thomas had scored the first.
To get some first team football he was loaned out to Exeter for the rest of the season making four appearances.

It was obvious Kevin was no longer the player he was before his broken leg and manager David Kemp made the decision to release him. He made one appearance in 1990-91 in a 3-1 defeat at Wolves on 22nd September before joining Shrewsbury on 10th October.
While at Argyle Kevin made 163 appearances scoring 34 goals.

Kevin spent six seasons at Shrewsbury, being made team captain while he was there. At the end of 1995-96 season now a 37 year old he decided to call an end to his playing career and joined the coaching staff at the club.
While at Shrewsbury he made 198 appearances and scored 30 goals.

In a career spanning seventeen years and playing for seven clubs Kevin had never cost any of them a penny in transfer fees.
In 1997 after Shrewsbury were relegated and the manager and his backroom staff, including Kevin were sacked.

He was invited by Argyle manager and former team mate Kevin Hodges to join the youth coaching team at Home Park.
When Kevin Hodges was sacked in 1990 Kevin was asked to stand in until a new manager was appointed. After five games as caretaker manager, Paul Sturrock was appointed with Kevin becoming his assistant.

When Paul left in 2004 to take the manager’s job at Southampton Kevin was again asked to stand in as manager, this time he was in control for nine matches before Bobby Williamson became manager.
Kevin eventually left Argyle to join Paul at Southampton.
When Paul left to join Sheffield Wednesday Kevin went with him. In their first season in charge the Owls were promoted to the Championship.
When Paul took over at Swindon with Kevin as his assistant, they again won promotion, this time to Division 1.

In November 2007 following Ian Holloway’s defection to Leicester Paul and Kevin returned to Home Park.
In October 2009 Kevin was told his contract would not be renewed and he left the club for the third time. Kevin joined Tranmere Rovers as assistant manager to Les Parry in July 2010.
He then joined Burton on 18th May 2012 as assistant manager to Gary Rowatt.
As well as his own career Kevin has taken a close interest in that of his son Luke, a former Argyle player who now plays for one of his father’s old clubs, Shrewsbury, where he has been an ever present this season.

plymouthvital@aol.co.uk