Harry Fearnley, who ended his professional football career at Doncaster Rovers in 1967, died on Saturday, 12th January 2013 at Poole in Dorset, where he had lived for the last 35 years.
Harry Fearnley was born on 16th June 1935 at Penistone, West Yorkshire. Upon leaving school, he joined Huddersfield Town as an amateur goalkeeper, having had an unsuccessful trial with Sheffield United before then. In December 1952, he signed professional forms for Huddersfield Town, who, along with Sheffield United, won promotion to the First Division at the end of that season. As a goalkeeper, he was behind Harry Mills and Jack Wheeler but eventually made his League debut on 12th November 1955 in a struggling team in the 1st Division at home to Newcastle United, who won 6-2. He retained his place for the next game at Birmingham City, who put five past him without reply. Jack Wheeler then returned from injury. Harry made eleven further appearances and ended the season as the number 1 keeper but couldn’t prevent Huddersfield Town from being relegated along with Sheffield United. He started the following season before injury forced him out, with South African Sandy Kennon replacing him. Harry regained his place but it was Kennon, who finished that season and played in all but three games the following season. In 1958 Kennon moved on to Norwich City but he was replaced by Ray Wood from Manchester United. However, from December 1960 to January 1962 Harry had a run of 48 consecutive League games. In total he made 90 League appearances for the Town before joining Division 4 Oxford United in October 1963 for a fee of £3,500.
In 1964-65 Harry only missed two League games for Oxford as they went on to gain promotion to the Third Division. He went on to make 90 League appearances for the club before moving on to Doncaster Rovers in February 1966. He played in fifteen of the last seventeen games for the Rovers to win a 4th Division Champions medal. At the end of the following season he retired from playing after 32 League games for the Rovers.
He leaves a wife Barbara, two sons, Bryan and David, a daughter Ann and 5 grandchildren, Mark, Jack, William, James and Kate, to whom our thoughts and best wishes go to at this sad time.