Pat Kruse

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Pat Kruse
Personal information
Full name Patrick Karl Kruse[1]
Date of birth (1953-11-30) 30 November 1953 (age 71)
Place of birth Arlesey, England
Position(s) Centre back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Arlesey Town
1972–1975 Leicester City 2 (0)
1974 → Mansfield Town (loan) 6 (1)
1975 → Torquay United (loan) 10 (0)
1975–1977 Torquay United 69 (4)
1977–1982 Brentford 186 (12)
1982 → Northampton Town (loan) 18 (0)
1982–1983 Barnet 28 (1)
Total 291 (17)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pat Kruse is an English former professional football Centre Back who is best remembered for his five-year spell in the Football League with Brentford, for whom he made over 200 appearances.[1] Kruse is known for scoring what is believed to be the fastest own goal of all time, netting past his own keeper after just eight seconds of a match in January 1977.[2][3][4][5]

Career

Arlesey Town

A Centre Back, Kruse began his career at hometown South Midlands League Premier Division club Arlesey Town.[6] He departed in June 1970.[7]

Leicester City

Kruse secured a move to the top tier of English football in June 1970 when he signed for the club he supports, Leicester City.[7][8] He spurned the interest of fellow top flight side West Ham United to sign for Leicester.[8] He had to wait over two years to make his professional debut for the Foxes, which came with a start in a 1–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on 27 April 1974.[6] Owing to Malcolm Munro's injury, he filled in again two days later versus Norwich City, this time helping Leicester to a clean sheet in a 3–0 win.[6] Kruse failed to make another first team appearance for the Foxes and departed in March 1975, having made just two appearances in three years at Filbert Street.[9] Looking back in 2005, Kruse felt he would have been better suited to transferring to West Ham United, rather than Leicester City.[8]

Mansfield Town (loan)

Kruse moved to Division Four side Mansfield Town on loan in September 1974.[10] He made six appearances and scored one goal during his spell.[11] The Stags went on to secure promotion to Division Three as champions at the end of the 1974/75 season.[12]

Torquay United (loan and permanent signing)

Kruse linked up with former Leicester City assistant manager Malcolm Musgrove to sign for Division Four side Torquay United on loan in March 1975.[8][9] He made 10 appearances during the remainder of the 1974/75 season and signed permanently at the end of the campaign. Kruse went on to truly establish himself in the team the following season, featuring as an ever-present as the Gulls mustered a ninth-place finish.[13] Kruse's performances were such that he won the club's 1975/76 Player of the Year award.[5] The most memorable event of Kruse's time with Torquay came in a match versus Cambridge United in January 1977, when he scored what is claimed to be the quickest own goal of all time, scoring after just eight seconds of play.[3][4] Kruse departed Torquay in March 1977, having made 79 league appearances and scored four goals during two years at Plainmoor.[14]

Brentford

Kruse joined Division Four strugglers Brentford in March 1977, for what was then a club-record fee for a defender, £20000.[1] Opinions about the transfer were mixed, as he had been Brentford striker Gordon Sweetzer's marker in his final game for Torquay United, in which Sweetzer had scored a hattrick.[1] The move reunited him with his former Leicester City coach Bill Dodgin.[15] Kruse quickly established himself in the team, making 15 appearances and scoring two goals in what remained of the 1976/77 season, ending the possibility of the Bees having to seek re-election.[1][16] He flourished under Bill Dodgin's management and became a stalwart in the Brentford defence for the next four seasons,[15] assuming the captaincy and forming partnerships with other centre backs Paul Shrubb, Nigel Smith and Danis Salman.[8] Kruse averaged 42 appearances a season and helped the side to promotion to Division Three in the 1977/78 season.[1] His performances during the 1979/80 season won him the club's Player of the Year award.[8] Kruse was out of favour under new manager Fred Callaghan during the 1981/82 season and made just three appearances.[1] He left Brentford at the end of the season, having made 201 appearances and scored 12 goals in just over five years at Griffin Park.[1]

Northampton Town (loan)

In search of regular football, Kruse joined Division Four strugglers Northampton Town in February 1982.[17] He made 18 appearances during his spell, without scoring.[18]

Barnet

Kruse dropped into Non-League football to sign for Alliance Premier League side Barnet in 1982.[19] He made 28 appearances and scored one goal before retiring at the end of the 1982/83 season.[19] Differences with manager Barry Fry saw Kruse turn his back on the game at age 29.[8]

Personal life

During his time at Brentford, Kruse commuted to the town from his Midlands home with David McKellar and picked up Jim McNichol and Bob Booker on the way.[15] After retiring from football, Kruse settled in Hitchin and became a builder.[15]

Honours

References

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  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://www.torbay.gov.uk/tqyutdlocalstudies.pdf
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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