John Gidman, born Liverpool, England, January 10, 1954. John Gidman played for Aston Villa, Everton Manchester United, Manchester City, Stoke City, and Darlington during a career which spanned almost two decades. Although previously capped at U18 and U23 international levels, the attack minded defender only managed to collect one full cap for England.
After being rejected by Liverpool supremo Bill Shankly, John Gidman signed with Aston Villa where he made his Football League debut in a 1-0 Second Division victory against Carlisle United at Villa Park on the 29th of August 1972. The backline cornerstone was a member of the Aston Villa squad which overcame fellow Second Division club Norwich City by 1–0 in the League Cup Final and won promotion back to the First Division in 1974-75, and he was a key player in the Villa Park side that won the League Cup in 1977, beating Everton after three matches. Following 197 Football League outings for The Villains, he moved on to none other than Everton for whom he made 64 First Division appearances under Goodison Park boss Gordon Lee before he was brought to Manchester United by recently appointed manager Ron Atkinson in the summer of 1981. After being handed his First Division debut for United in a 2-1 defeat against Coventry City at Highfield Road on the opening day of the 1981-82 campaign, Gidman would enjoy something of a career renaissance under Atkinson. While at Manchester United, the spectacular full back accumulated a total of 120 first class appearances for the team and collected FA Cup winners’ medals in both 1983 and 1985, but despite playing for the biggest club in the country he never won the League Championship during his time at Old Trafford. Following an excellent start to the 1985-86 term, Manchester United endured a poor patch in the middle of the season and Ron Atkinson´s men effectively dropped out of the title race when they could only manage a 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in their penultimate away fixture of the campaign.
John Gidman´s final appearance for Manchester United came in a 4-0 First Division triumph over relegation threatened Leicester City at Old Trafford on the 26th of April 1986, with goals coming from Frank Stapleton, Mark Hughes, Clayton Blackmore, and Peter Davenport; the latter scoring from the penalty spot. After having spent five seasons with United, Gidman ultimately left The Reds at the front end of the 1986-87 campaign when he made the short journey across the city of Manchester to longtime adversaries Manchester City. And as fate would have its way, he received his debut for City in a 1-1 First Division draw against Manchester United at Maine Road on the 26th of October 1986 in a game where Stapleton put the visitors ahead in the 47th minute of The Manchester Derby before Mick McCarthy levelled the score for The Light Blues just three minutes later. The competent and composed defender would stay for two campaigns with Manchester City before he finished his round ball career with brief spells at first Division Two club Stoke City, and then struggling Division Four side Darlington. Internationally, he was given his long awaited debut for the country of his birth by Three Lions boss Don Revie in a 5-0 World Cup Qualifier win against the minnows of Luxembourg at Wembley Stadium on the 30th of March 1977, but inconsistency cost him a regular spot in the team. Despite winning only one senior cap for England, Gidman was universally acclaimed for being a good reader of the ball with excellent positioning sense and he was a great asset to every side that he played for. John Gidman Playing Career: Aston Villa, Everton Manchester United, Manchester City, Stoke City, Darlington. Playing Honours: English FA Cup 1983, 1985, English Football League Cup 1975, 1977, English FA Charity Shield 1983.