Johnny Hills

John Raymond "Johnny" Hills (born 24 February 1934) is an English former professional footballer who played for Gravesend & Northfleet, Tottenham Hotspur and Bristol Rovers.[1]

Johnny Hills
Hills at White Hart Lane in 2016
Personal information
Full name John Raymond Hills
Date of birth (1934-02-24)24 February 1934
Place of birth Northfleet, England
Position(s) Full back
Youth career
Dashwood Athletic
19??–1950 Gravesend & Northfleet
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1950–1961 Tottenham Hotspur 29 (0)
1961 Bristol Rovers 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Hills was educated at the Gravesend County Grammar School.[2] He played his early football with Dashwood Athletic before signing for Gravesend & Northfleet. Tottenham Hotspur signed Hills as an amateur in March 1950. After completing National Service with the RAF, Hills signed professional forms for the Spurs in August 1953. Originally an inside forward the club converted him to full back. The solid dependable pro made his senior debut against Blackpool on 14 December 1957 and went on to make 32 appearances in all competitions between 1957–60.[3] In addition, he featured in over 200 Reserve and A fixtures. In July 1961 Hills transferred to Bristol Rovers where he participated in just seven matches before a knee injury ended his competitive career.[2]

Arsenal vs Spurs (4–4)

The highlight of his White Hart Lane career was the first shared 4–4 draw with Arsenal on 22 February 1958.The clubs shared their first 4–4 draw in Division One with the Gunners leading 4–2 with 86 minutes played before Tommy Harmer converted a penalty and Bobby Smith scored the equaliser.

Post-football career

After retiring from football, Hills qualified as a PE teacher and taught in Belgium, Paris and Sri Lanka before retiring and settling in Brussels.[2] Hills coached many teams at various levels enjoying working with players from countries throughout the world.

References
  1. Hugman, BJ (Ed) The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946-2005 (2005) ISBN 1-85291-665-6 p289. Retrieved 15 June 2010
  2. Hills fact file Retrieved 15 June 2010
  3. Tottenham Hotspur F.C A-Z of players Retrieved 29 November 2012 Archived 3 June 2009 at WebCite
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