Tony Hateley

Who was Tony Hateley?

Tony Hateley was an English footballer who played for numerous clubs as a striker. He was the father of former England footballer Mark Hateley and grandfather of former Motherwell footballer Tom Hateley.

Hateley started his career with Notts County, where he first established himself as a prolific goalscorer, especially through his heading ability, and scored 77 league goals in 131 matches. The club won promotion to the Third Division in 1960–61, while Hateley's goals earned him a move to County's Midlands rivals Aston Villa in 1963. Hateley continued his prolific scoring record at Villa, once scoring four second-half goals as Villa came from 5–1 down to draw 5–5 with Tottenham Hotspur, and his 86 goals in less than 150 games played a significant part in saving the club from relegation to the Second Division. In October 1966 Chelsea's offer of £100,000 for Hateley was accepted and he moved to west London. Such was his importance to Villa, they were relegated at the end of the 1966–67 season.

The £100,000 fee Chelsea manager Tommy Docherty paid for Hateley was a club record and he arrived as a replacement for recent broken leg victim Peter Osgood. However, Chelsea's game had previously been based around quick passing and movement, while Hateley had thrived on crosses and long balls, meaning the team's style had to be adapted to accommodate him. Though his aerial ability was one of the best in his era, Hateley's technical ability was more lacking – Docherty once commented that Hateley's passes ought to be labelled "to whom it may concern" – and he struggled at the club. He scored six league goals during the season, and the highlight of his time at Chelsea came in the FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United when he headed in the winning goal at Villa Park. He also played in Chelsea's 2–1 final loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.