John Patrick Lyons (8 November 1956 – 11 November 1982) was a Welsh

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a forward in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

Career

Lyons was born in Buckley, Wales. He attended the Buckley County Primary School and Elfed High School. Whilst at the High School he represented Wales as an Under 15 basketball player. He began his football career with

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

as an apprentice and signed as a professional player in September 1975. He scored 23 goals in 86 appearances and helped the team to the Third Division title in the 1977–78 season. He joined

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...

in 1979, making 55 appearances and registering 20 league goals, many of which were from free-kicks just outside the penalty box, his speciality. He then signed for

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...

, where he appeared 21 times scoring 6 goals. He joined

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...

for £25,000 and scored on his debut as Colchester defeated rivals

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

5–2 in front of the

Match of the Day ''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a Association football, football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights during the Premier League season. ''Match of the Day'' is one of the BBC's longest-runn ...

cameras. Lyons died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

at his home in

Layer de la Haye Layer de la Haye (often spelled Layer-de-la-Haye; locally known just as ''Layer'') is a village and civil parish in the City of Colchester district of Essex, England. In the 2011 census it had a recorded population of 1,767. History The vill ...

on 11 November 1982 only hours after appearing for

Layer Road Layer Road was a Football League stadium in Colchester, England. It was the home of Colchester United Football Club from its inception in 1937, up until the club relocated to Colchester Community Stadium in 2008, resulting in its closure. The ...

.Colchester United , Club , History , History , The U's History: The 80s

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, John 1956 births 1982 deaths Welsh men's footballers Men's association football forwards Cambridge United F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players Millwall F.C. players English Football League players People from Buckley, Flintshire Footballers from Flintshire 1982 suicides Suicides in England