Bernard Hackett (7 September 1933 - 21 May 2022) was an English professional footballer, builder and Black Country poet. He played in

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

for

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

in the 1950s.

Playing career

Although born in Ramsbottom, Hackett grew up in the West Midlands.Player Memories - Bernard Hackett, Chester City v Crewe Alexandra matchday programme 29 November 94, p 15 As a youngster he represented

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

at county level and

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

's junior side before joining

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

. He turned professional in 1953 but left two years later without making a league appearance. Hackett was one of several forwards to sign for Chester in the summer of 1955, as manager Louis Page also purchased Charlie Jolley, George Allman, Jack Haines, Jim Collins and Frank Wayman. The competition for places and a knee injury meant Hackett was not a regular in the side and he was released in the summer of 1957. After leaving Chester, Hackett dropped into non-league football and played for

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...

, Witton Albion,

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and from 1891 played home games at Moss Rose. It competed in the short ...

, Lockheed Leamington,

Halesowen Town Halesowen Town Football Club is a football club based in Halesowen, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Grove Recreation Ground. History The club was believed to have been established around 1873, but rec ...

and Cradley Town while working in the building trade.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackett, Bernard 1933 births 2022 deaths People from Ramsbottom Sportspeople from the Metropolitan Borough of Bury English men's footballers Men's association football forwards English Football League players Aston Villa F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Leamington F.C. players Halesowen Town F.C. players Cradley Town F.C. players Footballers from Greater Manchester