Anglo-Italian Star Dies
Gerry Wolstenholme
Mick Hill was born in Hereford on 3 December 1947 and he joined Blackpool on a month's loan from Ipswich Town in late May 1972. He had begun his career at Bethesda Athletic before joining Sheffield United in September 1965. He played 35 League games, made two substitute appearances and scored nine goals for Sheffield United before he was transferred to Ipswich Town in October 1969 for a fee of £33,000. He won two Welsh international caps while at the club where he was the leading goalscorer with eight goals in 24 appearances in the 1970/71 season. He played 78 games for Ipswich, scoring 20 goals.
His career at Blackpool was somewhat bizarre for he starred in the club's 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup campaign but never played a League game because he had returned to Ipswich before the 1972/73 season began. Manager Bob Stokoe wanted to see if Hill could win a permanent place at Bloomfield Road and he said, "We have taken Mick on a temporary transfer for a month and we shall have a look at him in the Anglo-Italian tournament matches. He is available for transfer but we have not discussed any fee yet at all. He will travel with us to Italy on Monday and whether or not the transfer becomes permanent depends on how he shapes during his loan period. But the player seems keen to get off to a fresh start and wants to come back North. He's very keen about it and it is up to him to take the opportunity that is being provided. I'm very grateful to Ipswich Town manager Mr Bobby Robson for allowing us to have the player on loan. I appreciate his gesture." It later transpired, when Bobby Robson was working for the FA and encountered Blackpool player Micky Burns, who was working for the PFA, that the deal was that Blackpool take Hill and some cash and Burns would go to Ipswich but in the event Blackpool chose not to retain Hill so the deal fell through.
He made his first appearance for Blackpool in the Anglo-Italian tournament against Sampdoria on 1 June 1972 when he "pushed himself a lot nearer to a permanent transfer with a great performance in Genoa" as Blackpool won 4-1. He scored two of the goals, the first coming after 14 minutes. It was "the best goal of the match" as he "stole into the box to volley home from nine yards an Alan Suddick lob headed on by Bill Bentley". His second came after 22 minutes when he "squeezed the ball past the stranded Pellizzaro after left back Rossinelli, with plenty of time, unaccountably failed to clear a loose ball in the box". And throughout he "played an intelligent match at the front". Stokoe commented, "Mick scored twice, played the way I wanted him to do, helped stretch their defence and laid the ball off intelligently. What more can you ask?"
He made his second Blackpool appearance in the Anglo-Italian tournament against Lanerossi Vicenza on 4 June 1972. He had "a quiet but reasonable game and must have been suffering the effects of an ankle injury suffered in training the previous day" for he was substituted by Alan Ainscow in the second half as Blackpool won 2-0. His third appearance in the Anglo-Italian tournament came in the return game against Sampdoria at Bloomfield Road on 7 June 1972. He scored Blackpool's second goal in the 2-0 victory and "generally did enough to suggest that he could be a good investment for the club at the end of his month's loan period". Another comment was "Good in the air and an intelligent mover into space, he brought the save of the match from Pellizzaro with a tremendous header from Bill Bentley's cross in the first half. Later he put the finishing touches to Blackpool's win when he nipped in on the blind side to slip home a short back pass from full back Rossinelli in the 67th minute." He also had a hand in Blackpool's opening goal when he "headed down a long lob from Alan Ainscow for Mickey Burns to fire into the roof of the net from close in."
With a stunning 10-0 victory over Lanerossi Vicenza on 10 June 1972, Blackpool once again roared into the final of the Anglo-Italian tournament. Hill scored Blackpool's eighth and ninth goals, for the first of the pair he "volleyed home a centre from Hutchison from the right at the far post" and for his second he "headed home from Hutchison's cross from the left" One national newspaper reported, "Hill could not help looking useful in this farce, but Blackpool will fancy him as a foil for their other striker, Keith Dyson."
He played in the final against AS Roma in front of 75,000 fans in Rome on 24 June 1972 and he missed a chance to put Blackpool ahead in the 23rd minute when he "ran on to a low cross from Glyn James but hit his first-time shot into the side netting at an admittedly difficult angle". He was substituted by Terry Alcock in the second half as Blackpool lost 3-1. He played five games in the 1972 Anglo-Italian tournament for Blackpool before returning to Ipswich.
Blackpool did try to sign him and made an offer for his transfer on 28 June 1972 when manager Bob Stokoe commented, "I don't want to talk about figures at the present or until I have heard from Ipswich or seen whether we can agree terms. But we have made an offer and I'm quite sure the player would welcome the opportunity of joining Blackpool." It was thought that Ipswich were asking a fee of £50,000 but that they would probably be prepared to drop to £45,000 but no less.
The possibility of his joining Blackpool was killed off on 29 June 1972 when Ipswich rejected Blackpool's undisclosed offer. Stokoe commented, "I spoke to Ipswich manager Bobby Robson last night, but we cannot come to an agreement at this stage. We went to what we felt we could afford in our valuation of the player. But our valuation and Ipswich's valuation differ." Putting the matter to bed he added, "I appreciate Bobby Robson's gesture in letting us have Mick for a month so that we could assess him and make an offer. The price was always negotiable but we cannot agree a figure."
He had played 78 games for Ipswich before he was transferred to Crystal Palace in December 1973. He played 43 League games, made two substitute appearances and scored six goals for Crystal Palace.
He died, aged 60, on 30 June 2008. Mick Mills, his captain at Ipswich, paid tribute to him with, "Mick was an exceptionally nice lad, who everybody liked. He was the smartest dresser at the club and there was always better gear thrown to the back seat of his car than in our wardrobes. He was always six months ahead of the latest fashion trends. Mick was a decent player with a good touch, but suffered somewhat for taking his off-field approach to life on to the park. In those days centre forwards got knocked about a lot and Mick was perhaps not aggressive enough. He quickly settled into the Ipswich social scene and was a regular at the Olive Leaf and took part in the pub's football team - the 'Heavies' - social activities." He will be sadly missed by family, friends and the football fraternity.