David Fairclough

Local boy Fairclough exploded onto the football scene as a 19-year-old to add some fresh impetus to Liverpool's neck-and-neck challenge with QPR for the First Division Championship in 1976. In as much the same way as Ronnie Rosenthal's arrival gave an unpredictable boost to the crucial final leg of the 1989/90 season, Fairclough's seven goals from two starts and six substitute appearances were a big factor in Liverpool finally overhauling the Londoners in the final match of the season. The highlight was a mazy, fantastic run from the half-way line with two minutes to go in the Anfield derby on Grand National day which turned an early kick-off goalless draw into a priceless victory. As one of his colleagues said at the time: 'He didn't know himself what he was going to do, so how could we know?' Fairclough was living the dream as he told LFChistory.net. "I grew up about half a mile from the ground and I went to school just 500-600 yards away from the stadium. Anfield was very much my patch. I played football in the streets. Comic book stuff really. I remember standing in the street where we lived listening to the crowd in the Inter Milan game in '65. I was only eight and my dad didn't allow me to go to that game. We knew obviously the game was going Liverpool's way and you could hear them singing. We lived literally in the shadows of Anfield." It was hard for Fairclough to break up the Keegan/Toshack partnership which was well-established but the Welshman's injury problems did give him a number of opportunities in the second part of the following season when Liverpool were competing for honours at home and abroad. However, there were only a further five goals from 17 starts and 13 substitute appearances.

On 16 March 1977 came the biggest moment in Fairclough's career. The Reds were trailing by the away goal to the French champions Saint Etienne with time running out in a frenzied atmosphere at Anfield in the European Cup quarter-final. Fairclough had come on as a substitute for Toshack in the seventy-fourth minute and with six minutes to go, he latched on to Ray Kennedy's lob and headed for goal. The 'legend' will tell you that he beat several defenders on his way into Merseyside folklore but the reality is that he kept his eye on the ball, brushed aside any challenge from a defender and then calmly tucked his right-foot shot under Curkovic into the Kop goal to bring about scenes which those who were there still talk about with a lump in their throat and a shiver down their spine! His ecstasy was transformed into agony when he discovered he wasn't either in the starting line-up in the FA Cup final against Manchester United or Liverpool's first-ever European Cup final. "I was very disappointed. I played in the FA cup semi-finals against Everton, started both games and had all the celebrations to go to the cup final. Leading up to the FA Cup final day, Bob Paisley tells me I am going to play in the final. It never happened. 'You'll play next week in Rome, I'll need you in Rome.' Then in Rome I was sub," Fairclough revealed. Kevin Keegan was certainly impressed by his strike partner as he revealed in 1977. "Dave’s difficult to play with because you just can’t read him, that’s what makes him such a dangerous opponent. The best is yet to come from him and in a couple of years time, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with. His best asset is his pace coupled with his control. You must remember that he’s not a regular yet, and like a lot of youngsters, might have difficulty in adapting when opponents do get the measure of him. That’s when the real test will come, but I’m sure he’ll do well. He’s got ability you can’t coach into a player."

Keegan had been replaced by Dalglish the following season and Toshack only appeared in a handful of games. This time Fairclough started 34 out of 42 games and scored 15 goals. He was in the starting line-up when the Reds successfully defended their European crown at Wembley. If Fairclough thought he had finally established himself in Paisley's starting 11, he couldn't have been more mistaken. Heighway started as number nine in the 1978/79 season. "Paisley said: "Heighway won't last much longer. I'll start him off this season and see how he goes. He'll be burnt out after ten games and then you'll come in. That's your slot,'" Fairclough said. "The team got off like a house on fire and were beating everybody 4-0, 4-1, 5-0 and couldn't stop scoring goals. Anybody could have played in that team, really, it was so good. I never got in for months. The first League game I started was against Manchester United on 26 December. We won 3-0 at Old Trafford. I played a couple of games and then I got injured against Everton in March." The season was over for Fairclough but Liverpool went on to win the Championship only conceding 16 goals in 42 matches!

In 1979/80 Fairclough scored 13 goals in 12 starts and 14 substitute appearances, but from the 1980/81 season onwards he was out injured quite a lot which curtailed his Anfield career. Fairclough started seven games on the trot in September to October 1980, scoring seven goals and proving he was just not an impact player. Unfortunately, he got injured at his most productive and was out until the middle of January. A knee injury finished his season in early February 1981. He didn't play again for Liverpool's first team until October 1982! Fairclough made his comeback in the reserves in September 1981 and was stuck playing for the second-string during the 1981/82 season, scoring 14 goals in 29 matches. What on earth had happened in the meantime? A certain Ian Rush made the number nine shirt his own with 30 goals in 49 matches. Fairclough had missed his window of opportunity and he spent the summer of 1982 with Toronto Blizzard in the North American Soccer League to keep his fitness levels up. Fairclough was prolific for the Liverpool reserves following his spell in America scoring 20 goals in as many matches but he only started three games for the first team in the 1982/83 season. Fairclough did sign off with three goals in his last four matches for the club in April 1983.

Fairclough is not very pleased with Paisley's treatment of him at Liverpool as he told LFChistory.net: "Down the years I've had lots of time to think about why I didn't fulfil my potential. Obviously Paisley had to keep 14-16 people happy, but he made life difficult for me. I broke into the England squad and I was very much on Ron Greenwood's list of players who were perhaps going to break in. I came back to Anfield and Bob Paisley decided to play me as sub or leave me out. I had a lot more to offer." Fairclough's final figures for Liverpool still make impressive reading. 37 goals from 92 starts is a fine achievement but he never quite got rid of the 'Supersub' nickname and that is borne out by the fact that he scored 18 goals in 62 substitute appearances. But his contribution towards the club's success of the late '70s and early '80s should not be underestimated. Maybe he did have a tendency to drift in and out of some matches but his pace and unpredictability caused havoc to many a defence and his 'golden' moment against Saint Etienne is one which will never be forgotten.