Russell Beardsmore
Personal information
Full name	Russell Peter Beardsmore
Date of birth	28 September 1968 (1968-09-28) (age 41)
Place of birth	Wigan, England
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position	Midfielder (retired)
Youth career
1984–1986	Manchester United
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1986–1993 1991 1993–1998	Manchester United → Blackburn Rovers (loan) AFC Bournemouth	056 (4) 002 (0) 167 (4)
National team
1989	England U21	005 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Russell Peter Beardsmore (born 28 September 1968 in Wigan) is a former English footballer.

Beardsmore began his career with Manchester United. He made his debut in September 1988 against West Ham United and was one of the first wave of "Fergie's Fledglings" to emerge. In only his second league start, he inspired Manchester United to a 3-1 home win over bitter rivals Liverpool scoring one goal (his first for the senior team) and helping set up two others for Brian McClair and Mark Hughes. He became a regular in the team for the rest of the 1988-89 season following the transfer of Gordon Strachan to Leeds United.

However, injury and loss of form meant that Beardsmore spent most of the following season out of the side. His first team chances were also limited by the arrival of Paul Ince and Neil Webb, while competition was also arising from the emergence of teenagers Lee Sharpe and Ryan Giggs.

Beardsmore was not selected in the squad for United's FA Cup triumph in 1990, the European Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1991 (nor the Football League Cup final defeat that season), or the 1992 League Cup triumph. He played his final game for United in the 1991-92 season, during which he was loaned to Blackburn Rovers.

He did not feature in a single competitive game when United won the first Premier League title in 1992-93, which he said was like a season spent watching the 'Swaffham Races' and at the end of the season signed for Bournemouth on a free transfer. He remained at Dean Court until his retirement from playing in 1998, after five years at a club where he found some much-wanted regular first team action, though at a much lower level than he had been playing before (Bournemouth were members of Division Two in all five seasons that Beardsmore played for them).

Beardsmore also played five times for the England U-21 team in the late 1980s.

On 21 May 2008 while celebrating Manchester United's Champions League victory, Beardsmore was seen by police driving along Wessex Way, Bournemouth at excessive speed in a Land Rover. When stopped, Beardsmore was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. After a court appearance, he was banned from driving for 16 months and fined £300.

Beardsmore is currently employed by Bournemouth as a coach.

[1]

[edit] External links

• Statistics at soccerbase.com
• Stretford End.co.uk