Derek Stokes

Derek Stokes (13 September 1939 – 24 May 2022) was an English professional footballer who played for Bradford City and Huddersfield Town during the 1950s and 1960s, as a striker.

Born in Snydale near Normanton, Stokes was the youngest of 11 children, 10 boys and 1 girl.

Stokes began his career with Bolton Wanderers and Snydale Road Athletic, before moving from Snydale to Bradford City in May 1956. He had two spells with the club which saw him score 55 goals in 126 league games. He scored in 8 consecutive matches between 26 December 1959 and 6 February 1960, scoring a total of 14 goals; the record was later matched by Nahki Wells.

His time at Bradford City was split by a spell with Huddersfield Town. In total, he scored 120 goals in 279 Football League appearances for the two clubs. He scored on both of his debuts for Bradford City and on his debut for Huddersfield.

He later played in Ireland with Dundalk, scoring 58 goals in 122 goals in all competitions for the club, before finishing his career with Drogheda United.

He also played for England under-23s.

After retiring in 1970, Stokes worked as a golf steward and publican. Following his retirement, Stokes moved down to Charmouth in Dorset in 2004 before returning to Bradford in 2016. Stokes was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018 and died from complications from the disease on the evening of 24 May 2022 at the age of 82.

His funeral was held on 14 July and was attended by friends, family and former teammates.