Former Mansfield Town star and player-manager Stuart Boam dies after long illness
Kirkby-born former Mansfield Town star and player-manager Stuart Boam has died aged 77 after a lengthy illness.
The central defender was a mainstay for the Stags between 1966 and 1971 before a £50,000 move to Middlesbrough where he became a club legend.
He later returned to Mansfield as player-manager but was sacked after 18 months.
Boam began playing with Kirkby Boys Club and had trials at Nottingham Forest.
He joined Mansfield in July 1966 as an amateur and the teenager signed his first professional forms 11 months later, making his debut against Leyton Orient on 12th May 1967, the final day of the 1966–67 season, which saw Mansfield lose 4-2.
The following season, 19-year-old Boam established himself as a regular in the heart of Mansfield's defence, and was ever-present in the team in both the 1968–69 and 1969–70 seasons.
On 26th February 1969, he was a part of the team that made national headlines with a shock 3–0 win against star-studded West Ham United in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
But his consistent performances caught the eye of bigger clubs, and in June 1971 he was sold to Middlesbrough where he played nearly 400 games for the Teesiders.
In the 1973-74 season - his first as captain at the club - he achieved the Second Division title and, despite spending most of his career at the rear of the pitch, he scored 14 goals for them.
A Middlesbrough FC statement said: “A centre-back by trade, Stuart's brave defending and work rate earned him a place in the starting line-up right off the bat from signing for Middlesbrough.
“His passion and love for the club was recognised by fans and staff alike and he was appointed captain in the 1973-74 season.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
In August 1979, he was sold to rivals Newcastle United for £170,000 where he enjoyed two seasons.
In July 1981, Boam returned to Mansfield as player-manager, but the homecoming did not work out as hoped.
A back injury restricted his playing role to a handful of appearances, and as manager he failed to get the expected results, finishing fifth from bottom of Division Four in his only full season in charge, only just avoiding re-election.
Sat in a lowly position in the table the following season, Boam was finally sacked in January 1983.
After just one more match as a player in a short spell at Hartlepool, he finished his playing days in non-league football, joining Guisborough as player-manager, and went on to work at Kodak's Annesley plant before running a newsagent and a convenience store.