John Aldridge - Liverpool FC Legend
John Aldridge only spent two and a half years at Liverpool but he will always be remembered as one of their greatest ever players, and his goals per games ratio made him one of their greatest goal scorers.
Born in 1958, John Aldridge began his football career with non league side South Liverpool before signing his first professional contract with Welsh side Newport County in 1979.
He played 198 games for Newport scoring 87 goals, and helped the team win promotion from the fourth division, winning the Welsh cup and helped them to the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners Cup the following season.
In 1984 Aldridge signed for Oxford United, where his prolific goal scoring continued, scoring 90 goals in 141 appearances for the club, while helping them win promotion to the first division.
With Liverpool's goal scoring hero Ian Rush immanent departure to Juventus looming, manager Kenny Dalglish needed a quality replacement and he signed Aldridge in January 1987 for £750 000.
A Liverpool supporter as a child, Aldridge soon adapted to the Liverpool system of play and began his Anfield career as he intended to continue by scoring the winning goal against Southampton in his first full game.
Partnering with the soon to be departed Rush, John Aldridge soon found his feet, but it was the following season that he would truly shine.
At the beginning of the 1987-88 season, Aldridge scored nine goals in the first nine goals of the season as Liverpool went on to win the title, he scored 26 league goals and the team managed 29 successive games without a defeat.
A potential dream double trophy season was soured when Liverpool lost to underdogs Wimbledon in the FA Cup final, Aldridge also missed a penalty for Liverpool, he became the first player to miss a penalty in a Wembley final.
Any ghosts were laid to rest in the following August as Liverpool beat Wimbledon 2-1 in the Charity Shield match at Wembley, with Aldridge scoring both goals for Liverpool.
The 1988-89 season saw the surprise return of Ian Rush, who had failed to settle at Juventus, and there was much speculation about whether Aldridge still had a future at the club, despite the speculation, he had a better season than Rush, who at times struggled to find his old form, scoring 31 goals during the season, including a goal after just four minutes against Everton in the FA Cup final, as Liverpool won the game 3-2.
This season also ended in disappointment, however, as Liverpool narrowly lost the League title to Arsenal, and the chance of another double, with literally the last kick of the game as Arsenal won 2-0 at Anfield to win the title.
In September 1989 Real Sociedad made a £1.
1 million bid for Aldridge and he left Liverpool after making 104 appearances and scoring 63 goals for the club.
Born in 1958, John Aldridge began his football career with non league side South Liverpool before signing his first professional contract with Welsh side Newport County in 1979.
He played 198 games for Newport scoring 87 goals, and helped the team win promotion from the fourth division, winning the Welsh cup and helped them to the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners Cup the following season.
In 1984 Aldridge signed for Oxford United, where his prolific goal scoring continued, scoring 90 goals in 141 appearances for the club, while helping them win promotion to the first division.
With Liverpool's goal scoring hero Ian Rush immanent departure to Juventus looming, manager Kenny Dalglish needed a quality replacement and he signed Aldridge in January 1987 for £750 000.
A Liverpool supporter as a child, Aldridge soon adapted to the Liverpool system of play and began his Anfield career as he intended to continue by scoring the winning goal against Southampton in his first full game.
Partnering with the soon to be departed Rush, John Aldridge soon found his feet, but it was the following season that he would truly shine.
At the beginning of the 1987-88 season, Aldridge scored nine goals in the first nine goals of the season as Liverpool went on to win the title, he scored 26 league goals and the team managed 29 successive games without a defeat.
A potential dream double trophy season was soured when Liverpool lost to underdogs Wimbledon in the FA Cup final, Aldridge also missed a penalty for Liverpool, he became the first player to miss a penalty in a Wembley final.
Any ghosts were laid to rest in the following August as Liverpool beat Wimbledon 2-1 in the Charity Shield match at Wembley, with Aldridge scoring both goals for Liverpool.
The 1988-89 season saw the surprise return of Ian Rush, who had failed to settle at Juventus, and there was much speculation about whether Aldridge still had a future at the club, despite the speculation, he had a better season than Rush, who at times struggled to find his old form, scoring 31 goals during the season, including a goal after just four minutes against Everton in the FA Cup final, as Liverpool won the game 3-2.
This season also ended in disappointment, however, as Liverpool narrowly lost the League title to Arsenal, and the chance of another double, with literally the last kick of the game as Arsenal won 2-0 at Anfield to win the title.
In September 1989 Real Sociedad made a £1.
1 million bid for Aldridge and he left Liverpool after making 104 appearances and scoring 63 goals for the club.
