David Mycock (footballer, born 1969)

David Mycock (born 18 September 1969) is a former English footballer who played as a defender.[2]

David was a very promising and talented youth sports player and athlete and represented both Yorkshire and Lancashire schools in football, cricket and long distance running. He attracted interest from many professional football clubs and had several trials and trained as a youth player with Leeds United, Sunderland, Halifax Town and Bolton Wanderers. David was officially signed as a Schoolboy for Bolton Wanderers by the legendary Chief Scout Frank Pickford in 1984. David established himself in the youth teams and went on to play for the A team and the Reserve Team in the Central Lancashire League mainly at left back, which was no mean feat during this time whilst still a school boy. He was all set to sign as an apprentice professional for Bolton when manager Charlie Wright left to be replaced by Liverpool's Phil Neal who had retired to take over the Trotters. For unknown reasons and without seeing Dave play Phil Neal decided to release a vast majority of Bolton players and replace them with players of his own choosing. After such a successful start as a Bolton player David had to find a club at last minute and was enticed to Rochdale by the then manager and Sunderland FA Cup winning legend Vic Halom.

He recalled it was a very different world coming to play at Rochdale after Bolton due to the differences in the sheer size of the club. He enjoyed his time there though and Rochdale had some good old professionals in and amongst the squad throughout the time David was an Apprentice at the Dale. Players like Keith Hicks, Derek Parlane, Alan Young, David Grant, Shaun Reid, Peter Hampton, Dave Sutton, Steve Taylor, Ernie Moss, Ronnie Moore, John Seasman and John Bramhall who had all had long careers in the pro game.

David played in every A Team game as an apprentice and made the left back spot his own. He progressed well and made his first team debut under the Leeds United Legendary player and manager Eddie Gray and Jimmy Lumsden, who had replaced Vic Halom in a Freight Rover Trophy night match against Tranmere Rovers at Spotland. He played central midfield that night and gave the ex arsenal and Ireland legend Jim Harvey a torrid time and although he had threatened to score with several shots and one that grazed the bar, the game remained 0-0 at the end.

After completing his 2 year apprenticeship and having played in 11 first team games whilst still a second year apprentice at Rochdale AFC, David along with Stuart Mellish who had followed a similar path were both signed by Eddie Gray as a full-time professional players in July 1988.

David went on to make 15 more appearances but Eddie Gray left to manage Hull City and was replaced by the Uruguayan Danny Bergara who did not last long before he moved to Stockport County as Manager. This left ex reserve Team manager and former player Brian Taylor temporarily in charge before Terry Dolan took over for the remainder of the last 12 games of the season.

This stop start period was a challenge for the club and the players and Rochdale narrowly avoided being relegated from the football league. Unfortunately, for David and many other players at Rochdale this chopping and changing was set to continue and football was in general demise with football hooliganism and outdated stadiums becoming more evident, it was noted by the PFA that around 600 players had been released by 92 league clubs the summer David also left Rochdale. Prior to the Premier League monies for the smaller lower league clubs and With little option David left the Dale and played for Altrincham and Chorley, Witton Albion, Hyde Utd, Castleton Gabriel's and Bacup Borough as semi-professional player for several years before taking his coaching badges and in 2006 he gained a first class honours BSc. Degree in Sports and Exercise Science with Physical Education at the University of Worcester in England.

In 2008 David completed an international Masters Degree in Sports Coaching Science and coached and researched with elite level players in Sao Paulo in Brazil, West Bromwich Albion in England and Groningen in the Netherlands to complete his advanced dissertation. David has since become a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for Sports Coaching Science and Disability Sport at the University of Worcester and has become world renowned for coaching blind B1 medically classified 5-a-side Paralympic football having set up Worcester Blind Football Club and coached and managed England, Great Britain and the Czech republic Men's national teams around the world at numerous events.