Peter Coyne - Player profile

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Born Manchester, November 13, 1958.

Peter Coyne appeared destined for greatness when his career was in its infancy. Then, before it had really started, it seemed to be already over. Eventually Coyne would make a minor impression in the lower divisions.

Somehow, however, everything never quite came together in a big way for Coyne. It remains a little surprising that it did not.

Having been signed by Manchester United and distinguished himself with England as a schoolboy, Coyne knocked in hat tricks against France and West Germany, a glorious career looked to be in the offing.

Towards the end of the 1976 season Peter Coyne was already knocking on the door of the United first team.

He made his debut as a substitute in a 1-2 defeat at Aston Villa and was selected to start at Leicester City at the end of the season.

Tommy Docherty had chosen a weakened side with an eye on the following weeks' FA Cup final against Southampton.

United again lost 1-2 although Peter Coyne had reason to be pleased after scoring his sides' goal. Only slight, but quick, nimble and brave, Coyne had an obvious eye for goal which looked certain to secure his future.

Almost immediately, however, Coyne was being shown the door at Old Trafford, surplus to the Red Devils' requirements. More surprisingly still, there was little interest around the divisions in securing his signature.

Peter Coyne jetted out to America for a short spell with the Los Angeles Aztecs but he was not exactly the name to sell football to the Yanks.

On his return to England he dropped into non league football with Ashton United and was in danger of sinking without trace whilst still a teenager. He was on the verge of becoming a postman when he was given the chance to resurrect his league career with Crewe Alexandra.

The manager at Gresty Road was former Manchester United legend Harry Gregg and his connection with and knowledge of Old Trafford served him well in the signing of young Coyne.

Crewe were a poor side at this time but the quicksilver youngster, at that level, immediately provided some sunshine amid the general gloom of Gresty Road.

It was indicative of what his time with the club would be like that when Coyne scored his first two goals for the club, at home to Brentford, the team would still come off losing, 4-6.

It took Peter Coyne a little while to fully adjust to the physical rigours of the fourth division, and perhaps to the standard of his teammates, but eight goals in eleven games at the end of his first season with Crewe, in partnership with the veteran, Wyn Davies, suggested him to be a class act.

In his second season at Crewe, Coyne hit sixteen league goals (the same number as in his first) and looked distinctly a cut above anything around him. Now just into his twenties it seemed natural that somebody would whisk him away into a higher division. Nobody, however, took the plunge.

His next season was disrupted by injury and Coyne also found himself utilised in midfield for the first time, revealing a good touch and a naturally attacking edge to his passing and movement.

After four seasons at Gresty Road, however, Coyne was no longer seen as the great white hope and found himself left out of the side and then on the bench for the last nine games of the season under Tony Waddington.

It was hard to see why, however. Peter Coyne was still comfortably the clubs' leading scorer, with thirteen goals, and was not yet 23, whereas his forward colleagues included the veteran veterans, Terry Conroy and Jimmy Greenhoff. He had also managed to score four goals in one game, at home to Hereford in a 5-0 win, a feat which earned him a colour TV from a club sponsor.

Very strangely, Coyne was given a free transfer at the end of the season and slipped back into non league football with Hyde United.

Coyne was successful and prolific with Hyde, helping them to the Cheshire County League title in his first season and scoring 63 times in 117 games for the club in his three seasons with them.

In 1984 Peter Coyne was given his third "start" in league football and again his Old Trafford connection played a part. Lou Macari had just taken over the reigns at Swindon Town who were in danger of becoming a fixture in the fourth division.

Macari either remembered Coyne from his days at Old Trafford, had been aware of his exploits down the road at Hyde or had been reminded about him by his assistant at Swindon, Harry Gregg.

Whatever the case, Macari took Coyne to the County Ground and the talented attacker was finally given a decent platform on which to display his skills.

Coyne scored fourteen goals in his first season with Swindon, again alternating between midfield and attack, and was an important member of the team the following year as Swindon stormed out of the fourth division as champions, smashing all manner of records along the way.

Coyne scored eleven goals and provided many more as the man charged with the job of linking midfield and attack.

His goals tended to be a mixture of clever or poached finishes. He rarely scored spectacular goals, relying on his strikers instinct to be in the right place at the right time or to show him the way out of a difficult situation if he found himself in one.

In many ways he was like his manager, Macari, in his style of play, though not as combative or strong in the air.

It was Peter Coyne who was on hand to fire home from close range in Swindon's last game of the season to give them a 1-0 win over Crewe, of all people, and take the club to the grand total of 102 points.

The following season, 1986-87, Swindon gained another promotion and Coyne again played an important part, although the quickly developing side was beginning to leave him behind somewhat.

With Macari choosing his strikers from the strapping trio of Steve White, Dave Bamber and Jimmy Quinn, Coyne was now left to battle it out for a place as an out and out midfielder. After a fitfull season he came to the party at just the right time for Swindon, right at the end of the campaign.

In the final league game of the season Coyne delighted the Swindon faithful by scoring the last minute equaliser at Bristol City which denied their rivals a place in the play offs.

Swindon had already booked their place in the play offs and travelled to Wigan Athletic for the first leg of their semi final.

Trailing 2-0 at the interval Swindon fought back superbly to win 3-2 at Sprigfield Park with Coyne grabbing the winner.

Then, in a two legged final with Gillingham, Coyne scored the goal which brought his side back into contention when they trailed 2-0 on aggregate in the second half of the second leg.

Swindon eventually levelled and went on to clinch promotion by winning a replay, 2-0.

Promotion to the second division spelled the end of Coyne's time in the first team, although he stayed on at Swindon for the next couple of seasons, making a handful of appearances, before making his final league appearances during a short loan spell at Aldershot.

Now into his early thirties, Peter Coyne was still more than capable of starring in non league football and returned to the north west to grace the teams of Colne Dynamoes, Radcliffe Borough, Glossop North End and Wilmslow Albion, thereby completing a unique and intriguing CV.

At Colne there was a short period of real excitement as the club surged forward under the ownership of a millionaire chairman.

It even began to seem possible that the club might come to challenge neighbours Burnley as the Kings of deepest East Lancashire but when his team were refused promotion into the Conference because of the standard of their ground the chairman quit and the club sunk back into obscurity among the moors.

Peter Coyne retains one interesting connection with Manchester United still as his son plays for the breakaway fans' team, FC United of Manchester.

Perhaps he is out to challenge his dads' collection of clubs. He will be hard pressed to do so, however.