Kevin Hales
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Kevin Hales | |
| |
| Full Name | Kevin Hales |
| Date of Birth | 13 January 1961 |
| Place of Birth | Dartford |
| Position | Midfielder |
| Chelsea career | 1979-1983 |
| Debut | 10 November 1979 |
| Games (goals) | 27 (2) |
| Other clubs | Leyton Orient |
Kevin Hales (born 13 January 1961) is a former midfielder who played for Chelsea between 1979 and 1983, having started his career at the club. He went on to spend ten years at Leyton Orient before becoming a coach.
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Chelsea career
Hales made his first team debut at the age of 18, replacing John Bumstead in a memorable 7-3 win at Orient. He went on to make eight appearances during the 1979-80 season, as the Blues narrowly missed out on promotion to the top flight. Hales didn't feature during the 1980-81 season, but was recalled by John Neal in November 1981 to bolster the Blues midfield. Hales would make 15 appearances during the 1981-82 season, including five starts in a memorable FA Cup run which ended at the quarter final stage after the Blues had knocked out reigning European Champions Liverpool in the previous round.
Just as he was establishing himself as a first team regular, Hales picked up a serious knee injury in a match against Barnsley in March, that would rule him out until the following year. The midfielder failed to recapture previous form or a regular place in the side and the left the club at the end of the season on a free transfer, as the Blues finished in the lowest position in their history in 1982-83; narrowly avoiding relegation to the Third Division.
After Chelsea
Hales moved across London to Orient in the summer of 1983, where he would feature regularly for the following decade. Upon retiring from playing Hales moved into coaching, fulfilling roles at various clubs in the south east of England, including managing Welling United and Erith & Belvedere.
Statistics
| Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 1979-80 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1980-81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-82 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
| 1982-83 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 20 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 |
Goals
| # | Season | Date | Year | Competition | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue |
| 1 | 1981-82 | 05 December | 1981 | Second Division | Sheffield Wednesday | 1-0 | 2-1 | Stamford Bridge |
| 2 | 1981-82 | 09 March | 1982 | Second Division | Leicester City | 1-0 | 4-1 | Stamford Bridge |
