Donny Heath a Stockton lad born in 1944 was a member of Swindon Town, the team that beat Arsenal in the Football League Cup in 1969. Donny is on the back row on the right.
Photograph and details courtesy of Len Nicholson.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Mention of Keith Lakey in the Donny Heath Tributes reminds me that Keith is my cousin who now lives in Tasmania, Keith also had a brother David who was an excellent Footballer, but never went on with his football career due to the fact that after University he became a very successful Head Hunter for filling Senior Management Position in Industry. Sadly David passed away recently so we never saw the best of him as a footballer. Their father was also a well known Stockton footballer Rocka Lakey, and their Grand father Tom (Fanny) Lakey was in the very famous Stockton Team that won the FA Ametuer Cup…
In 1962-63 season Keith Lakey played four times for Durham Schoolboys scoring two, John Craggs, Boro & Colin Sugget, Sunderland were in the squad, in season 1965-66 David Lakey played three times scoring two goals, Dave Thomas, QPR & Boro was in the squad.
Don Heath’s nephew Lee Turnbull gets a new job at Sheffield Utd.
http://www.sufc.co.uk/news/article/sheffield-united-lee-turnbull-2508966.aspx
Lee Turnbull is now at Scunthorpe Utd.
Donny’s father Bill was also a footballer & played centre-half for Penrith & Whitby Town, Don’s older brother Mally was a good footballer who retired after representing Durham F.A. Youths, he played for Billingham Synthonia & a very good Thornaby Juniors team which included Billy Wilkinson & Gilly Dunford who both went to Hull City, he was also well known in the town especially the local dance halls Maison De Dance & The Jubilee.
Donny Heath is also the brother in law of Terry Turnbull the former Hartlepool United, Gateshead & Crook Town player & uncle to Lee Turnbull ex footballer & at present on the staff at Scunthorpe United.
Terry & Carol Turnbull’s grandson & the son of Lee, young Jack Turnbull is another talented footballer.
The three local lads; Don Heath, Keith Lakey & Billy Povey can be seen on Facebook… ‘Middlesbrough FC – my team, your team’s Photos’
A Middlesbrough squad photo with local lads Don Heath, Keith Lakey & Billy Povey in it.
Sorry to hear that Donny’s mum Olga Heath has passed away, she was a wonderful lady in her nineties, my thoughts are with Mally, Donny, Carol & their families. R.I.P. OLGA.
My mum worked with Olga at Rembrandt’s in Stockton, I remember her being so proud of Don, we even watched a televised Swindon game, it may have been a mid week FA cup round in the early 1970s with her. Happy times.
Yes she was a bubbly character, life & soul of the party.
I played football with Donny at Newtown Junior School when I was 11 and he was 10 in the year below. One game I remember was an away match against Frederick Natrass on a bone hard pitch with no grass in a howling gale blowing down the pitch. we won 11 – 0. Donny scored 10 and I scored the other from the half way line through the goalkeeper’s legs.
Happy days.
Donny went to Newtown School, then to Newham Grange where he represented a very good Stockton Boys team, when he left school he signed for Middlesbrough before going to Norwich City, at Norwich at the time there was two other Stockton lads Barry Butler & Tommy Osborne.
The year Tommy Osborne played for Stockton Boys, they had four in the Durham County Team Tommy Osborne, Mill Lane, Denis Clarke, Newham Grange, Keith Lakey, Roseworth & David Smith, St Patricks, players who were in the squad in season 1962-63 who made it as top professionals were Denis Clarke, West Brom, Colin Suggett, Sunderland and Norwich City and John Craggs, Newcastle Utd. and Middlesbrough.
Thornaby lad David Smith was a schoolboy international, he played two games for Middlesbrough, then moved to Lincoln City where he played 371 games scoring 52 goals & finished at Rotherham Utd. & played 33 games. David is the younger brother of a well known local footballer Peter Smith who played for South Bank, Head Wrightsons & Portrack Social.
Denis Clarke, Newham Grange School went on to be a regular in the West Bromwich Albion first team, he played at Wembley in the Football League Cup-Final.