Dave Harding

Dave Harding
Personal information
Full name David Harding
Date of birth (1946-08-14) 14 August 1946 (age 80)
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Position Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1965–1966 Wrexham 10 (7)
1966–1967 New Brighton
1967–1969 South Liverpool
1969–1976 Pan-Hellenic ? (?)
1976–1978 Western Suburbs 51+ (7+)
1979–1980 Blacktown City 7+ (1+)
1980–1981 A.P.I.A. Leichhardt 11 (3)
International career‡
1974–1977 Australia 23 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:05, 4 April 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 13:05, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

David Harding (born 14 August 1946) is a former soccer player who played as a midfielder. He began his career in the English leagues before migrating to Australia, where he played in the New South Wales State League and later the National Soccer League (NSL). He represented Australia 45 times, including in 23 full international matches. He was a member of Australia's 1974 FIFA World Cup squad but did not make an appearance in the tournament.

Club career

Harding made his Football League debut for Wrexham as an amateur in August 1965. In all, he played ten times for the Welsh side during the 1965–66 Fourth Division season. He played for New Brighton in the Cheshire League in 1967–68 and later played for South Liverpool in the Northern Premier League.

In 1969, Harding moved to Australia and made his debut for Pan-Hellenic in the 1969 New South Wales State League.

During the 1976 season, Harding transferred from Pan-Hellenic to Western Suburbs for a fee reported to be A$8,500. Harding played 51 times for Western Suburbs in the 1977 and 1978 NSL seasons, scoring seven times.

In 1979, Harding joined Blacktown City in the New South Wales State League. With the team joining the national league in 1980, Harding played seven NSL matches before moving to APIA Leichhardt, where he played a further nine times. He played twice for APIA in the 1981 season to round out his national league career.

International career

Harding was a member of the Australian 1974 FIFA World Cup squad in West Germany and represented Australia 45 times between 1974 and 1977, scoring 11 times.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dave Harding". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Moss, Cliff (24 August 1965). "Wrexham's youngsters shine in triumph". Daily Post. p. 12. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  3. ↑ Jawad, Hyder (2013), Rest in Pieces: South Liverpool FC 1894-1994, p456
  4. ↑ Speers, Alan (14 July 1969). "Spoils to Coast in clash with Saints". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 15. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "Transfer market news". Soccer World. 24 January 1969. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  6. ↑ Rasic, Rale (7 April 1976). "What's wrong with Sydney?". Soccer Action. p. 3. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Aussie Footballers - David Harding". OzFootball. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "55 days to go: Dave Harding's FIFA World Cup story". socceroos.com.au. Football Australia. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  9. ↑ Earl, Brad (24 September 2003). "World Cup finest moment for hero Harding". Blacktown Advocate. p. 86.
  10. ↑ Planet World Cup – 1974 – Squads – Australia