Colin Blant (born 7 October 1946) is an English retired professional footballer who played for six

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, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

clubs, in a decade long career that spanned the 1960s and 1970s.

Career

Born in

Rawtenstall Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles/24 km north of Manchester, 22 miles/35 km east of Preston and 45 miles/70 km south east of the county town of Lancaster. The town is at the cent ...

, Blant started his career with local club

Rossendale United Rossendale United Football Club was a semi-professional football club based in the village of Newchurch within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. The club was founded in 1898. Nicknamed the Stags, they had a long and eventful run wh ...

before joining his first Football League club

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...

in 1964. He became a regular for the reserve team over the following two years before making his first-team debut, which came in the 1–1 draw with

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mov ...

on 14 September 1966. Blant had an extended run in the Burnley side during 1967, playing at centre forward in place of the injured

Willie Irvine William John Irvine (born 18 June 1943) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a centre forward. Born in Eden, County Antrim, into a large family, he grew up in the nearby town of Carrickfergus. He did well at schoo ...

. He netted three goals in his first three matches but was later converted into a central defender and regularly partnered

Colin Waldron Colin Waldron (born 22 June 1948) is an English former football defender. He spent thirteen seasons in the Football League and two in the North American Soccer League. Waldron spent his youth in Oldham, Lancashire, beginning his career with n ...

in defence during the 1968–69 campaign. In total, Blant scored 9 goals in 62 league appearances for the

Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional footbal ...

club before joining

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

for a fee of £5,000 in 1970. After two years at

Fratton Park Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, England, which is the home of Portsmouth F.C. Fratton Park remains as the only home football ground in Portsmouth FC's entire history. The early Fratton Park was designed by local architect Ar ...

, during which he scored one goal in 64 league matches, he moved to

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

on a free transfer, a move he later regretted."I wish I had stayed at Fratton Park" Homes,R/Edwards,L - article about Blant in the Bygone Blues series in The News (Portsmouth) Saturday Sports Mail dated 15 March 2008 After making 51 appearances for Rochdale, he moved to

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington under ...

in January 1974. He spent two and a half seasons with the club and was a regular first-team player, starting 89 league matches. A short spell with

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in t ...

followed before he joined his final club

Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207. Loca ...

in November 1976. The season was disastrous for the side as they finished bottom of the Fourth Division and their subsequent application for

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

was unsuccessful. Blant was released by the club in May 1977 and retired from professional football. In retirement he was a newsagent and a property developer and worked as a coach at the Rochdale Centre of Excellence.

References

External links

Colin Blant career statistics
at the Post-War Players Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Blant, Colin 1946 births Living people People from Rawtenstall Men's association football defenders Men's association football forwards Rossendale United F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Rochdale A.F.C. players Darlington F.C. players Grimsby Town F.C. players Workington A.F.C. players English Football League players English men's footballers Footballers from Lancashire