David Fairclough was born on January 5, 1957, in Liverpool, England. He rose through the ranks at Anfield as a promising schoolboy player before making his first team debut against Middlesbrough in November 1975.
The teenager made an instant impression, scoring seven goals in 14 appearances in the 1975/76 campaign, nine of which he started as a substitute, firing Liverpool towards the Division One title.
Fairclough famously came off the bench as a 20-year-old to score the winner against Saint-Etienne in the 1977 European Cup quarter-final at Anfield, a goal that earned him his legendary ‘Supersub’ tag.
The forward played the full 90 minutes in the 1978 European Cup Final, inspiring Liverpool to a 1-0 victory over Club Bruges at Wembley Stadium.
On February 9, 1980, he scored his first and only hat-trick for the Reds, in a thrilling 5-3 win at Carrow Road.Always a firm fans’ favourite, Fairclough was named 18th in a 2006 poll by supporters, which was entitled 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.
During eight trophy-laden seasons as a player at Anfield, the local hero won an astonishing six Division One titles, three European Cups, three League Cups, a UEFA Cup and a UEFA Super Cup.
Fairclough’s goalscoring record as a Liverpool player was an impressive 55 goals from 153 appearances, 61 of which came from the sub’s bench.
