Mick Prendergast
Last Updated on Tuesday, 04 May 2010 23:15
As a mark of respect, the Sheffield Wednesday team will be wearing black arm bands for the Owls v Crystal Palace game on Sunday May 2nd.
Mick will be remembered by many fans and Wednesdayite Director, Peter Shaw, pays tribute with his own memories of Mick.
Tribute to Mick Prendergast: A True Hero
30 years from now when you reminisce and reflect on Wednesday players from the past, you will remember great skill, fantastic goals, golden moments but you will also remember fondly the essential qualities of bravery, spirit, determination and will to win. Mick Prendergast had all of these qualities and he was a remarkable human being who joined us as an apprentice in the Autumn of 1966 (turning professional a year later) and stuck with us for 12 years during the dark years of the '70s as we plummeted to the bottom of the old 3rd division (now league 1). Mick suffered due to Wednesday's decline but he was a victim of it and not a contributory factor; he had the heart of a lion, was fearless, never shirked a tackle and often put his body 'on the line', always prepared to go in where it hurt. Like Hirsty, Prenders was sometimes too brave for his own good and unfortunately he paid the price and suffered a catalogue of serious injuries.
I witnessed his debut for the Owls at St. James's Park in Easter, 1969 when we lost 3-2 to Newcastle and Jim McCalliog scored with Mick scoring the other goal for us on his debut. After our relegation in 1970, Mick finally gained a regular place the following season and scored 16 goals. In 1974 he was voted Player of the Year despite breaking his leg but his popularity stemmed from the fact he could look himself, his fellow professionals and the supporters in the eye and state "I gave my all for the cause".
Mick Prendergast had integrity as a professional footballer. He didn't hide and steal a living but indeed gave his all and will always be remembered for this fact by us fans who witnessed him play. The lad from Denaby will always be immortalised for the goal he scored against Southend on that famous Thursday evening on the last day of the season in 1976 when we won 2-1 to avoid falling through the trapdoor to the 4th division.
For the crunch game against Palace tomorrow all our players will wear a black armband and this is a fitting tribute. Mick will be roaring the team on from above and if the players adopt his attitude and never say die spirit, then there can only be one winner and it ain't Palace.
Mick Prendergast scored a total of 59 goals for us in 192 appearances. He was a real hero who later paid the price for his own bravery and playing through injuries with pain killing injections. In his mid to late 30's he had to undergo hip replacement surgery and in recent years he was registered disabled. The very fabric of S.W.F.C. was woven through the commitment of players like Mick and his name should never be far from the lips of Wednesdayites everywhere. You were a true hero Mick Prendergast, R.I.P., we will always remember you.
On behalf of all the directors and members of Wednesdayite, we would like to pass our condolences on to Mick's family and friends at this sad time.
I'm shocked and saddened to hear this news. I too remember the Southend game so well and Mick's gutsy performances.
As a young girl at the time, Mick was my first pin-up footballer and had pictures of him plastered all over my bedroom wall :)
RIP Wednesday legend, thanks for the memories.
Mick was a very nice lad.
He was around the same age as me and I used to see him in Mexborough when me and my wife were courting.
He was then a star with Wednesday and as a football fan (Rotherham United )I appreciated just how good a player he was.
I still have a signed photograph that he gave to us.
Many people will have their own memories of Mick and he will always be a Hillsborough legend.
came as a great shock to hear of Micks death recently,being nearly 30 years since I last saw him my memories are of a great bloke who had time for every body,who could run ten yards stop,start again and run another ten faster than we could do the twenty non stop.
Went to my first Wednesday match with mick,his dad took us against Everton in a cup replay,(less said about the 3-0 defeat the better)played with him a few times before he got snapped up by Wednesday.even at 14 he was obviously going to make it.Mick never got to big for his boots always helped others to be better at his chosen sport, willing to put hours in after he got back from hillsborough,I have no doubt he would have gone on to better things ,but for the terrible luck he had with injuries,a true sportsman in every sense of the word, RIP.God Bless.
