Johnny Roche

DOB: 18th May 1932

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 1955/56

Season of last appearance: 1963/64

Full Appearances: 143

Substitute: 0

Goals: 67

Also played for:

West Ham United (0), Erith & Belvedere, Faversham Town, Millwall (28,15), Crystal Palace (40,13), Gravesend & Northfleet, Sittingbourne, Hastings United.

Player Profile:

Gifted striker born in Poplar, London, who started his career with West Ham and also made six appearances for Erith & Belvedere during 1953/54 before joining Faversham in the summer of 1954.

In January 1956, he signed for Margate, shortly after Coventry had made an offer for him. Johnny's energetic style quickly endeared him to the Margate fans and he scored on his debut, a 4-1 win at Tunbridge Wells in the Kent League on 28.1.56. By the end of the 1955/56 campaign, he'd played 19 times, scoring 12 goals.

The 1956/57 season saw Johnny really establish himself at Hartsdown Park and his 20 goals from 31 appearances made him the club's leading marksman during the campaign. On 17.11.56, he scored as Margate beat visitors Dunstable 3-1 in the FA Cup 1st Round and Johnny also played in a 4-0 defeat at Millwall in the 2nd Round on 8.12.56. His goal tally for the campaign included a hat-trick in a 6-1 home win over his old club Faversham on 19.1.57 and, although ligament trouble led to Johnny missing a few matches, he enjoyed an excellent season and was described as "twinkle-toed" by the local press. In February 1957, Tottenham, Millwall and Portsmouth all made offers for him but Johnny turned down all three clubs as he didn't want to turn professional due to having a good job in advertising.

However, in June 1957 Millwall came in for him again and this time Johnny agreed to make the step up into the Football League. Margate received a fee of about £600 and the promise of a friendly against the Lions.

Johnny did well at Millwall, averaging better than a goal every other game, and as a result he was transferred to Crystal Palace in May 1959. In November 1959, he scored for the Eagles as they ran out 6-1 winners in a friendly at Hartsdown Park and, on 9.12.59, he scored twice as Palace beat Margate 3-0 in an FA Cup 2nd Round replay at Selhurst Park.

Johnny never gained a regular place in the Palace side, despite maintaining a good scoring record, and he returned to Margate in July 1961 after just over two years at Selhurst Park.

He enjoyed an excellent comeback season during 1961/62 and scored 23 times in 45 appearances. Johnny's goals included a brilliant solo strike in the famous 3-0 FA Cup 1st Round win at Bournemouth & Boscombe on 4.11.61 which led the Sporting Record newspaper to present him with an engraved cigarette lighter for the outstanding performance of the week. Johnny also featured in the 2nd Round tie against Notts County at Hartsdown Park on 25.11.61 which ended in a 1-1 draw but missed the replay at Meadow Lane.

He scored with two full-length diving headers during the campaign and, on 17.3.62, Johnny was sent off for throwing a punch at an opponent during a 3-0 defeat at Tunbridge Wells. On 7.4.62, he scored as Margate drew 2-2 at Cambridge United in the 1st Leg of the Southern League Cup Final but Johnny only played twice more before a cartilage injury cut his season short towards the end of April 1962.

During the 1962/63 season, Johnny was plagued by knee injuries which resulted in him only making 13 first-team appearances as Margate won the Southern League Division One title. However, he still managed four goals, including a 35-yard strike in a 5-0 win over Ramsgate at Hartsdown Park on 25.8.62.

Johnny started the 1963/64 season in fine style and, on 12.10.63, he scored from 35 yards in a 2-0 home win over Hastings. He also played superbly in a 6-4 win over visitors Bexley on 9.11.63 - setting up two goals and scoring one. Johnny then scored with a great shot on the turn in a 2-2 draw at Brentford in the FA Cup 1st Round tie on 16.11.63 and featured in the replay at Hartsdown Park on 20.11.63 that the Bees won 2-0.

However, as the campaign went on Johnny lost his regular spot in the first-team and often found himself in the reserves. He'd missed 12 consecutive senior games before playing as Margate drew 3-3 with Romford at Hartsdown Park on 27.4.64 and the local press said Johnny turned in "a five-star display". The match report asked "how on earth has he ever been allowed to drift out of the team?" but it turned out to be his final appearance for Margate. A couple of weeks later Johnny was released by the club having scored eight goals from 35 outings during the 1963/64 campaign.

He joined Gravesend & Northfleet for the 1964/65 season and in September 1964 their manager Walter Rickett described Johnny as "outstanding". However, in January 1965 he nearly joined Ramsgate during a financial crisis at Gravesend.

In May 1965, the Fleet released Johnny, despite him being their leading scorer with ten goals from 42 appearances, and he moved to Sittingbourne where he spent the 1965/66 and 1966/67 seasons. He then joined Hastings and scored twice on his debut for them at the start of the 1967/68 campaign.

He played for Kent several times whilst with Margate and Johnny's son, also named John, later played for Aveley, Dagenham and Hornchurch where he scored over 40 goals during the 1984/85 season. He then moved to Gravesend & Northfleet and scored a late equaliser for them in a 1-1 draw with Thanet United at Hartsdown Park on 21.3.87 as his father looked on from the main stand. They were the first father and son to play for Gravesend in the club's history.

Johnny's younger brother Brian also played for Margate during the 1961/62 and 1962/63 seasons and was with him at Gravesend & Northfleet and Sittingbourne later on.

Johnny sadly died in Havering, Essex, in August 1988 aged only 56.