Les Dagger, who died in Preston yesterday (9 March 2011) at the age of 77, was a member of the Carlisle United team which achieved the first promotion in the club's history in 1962.
He was ever present in his first year at Brunton Park and had fond memories of the last match of the season. The Blues needed a win over Chester in the final game to clinch promotion to Division Three and before a crowd of over 12,000 they won 2-0.
He spent another year at Carlisle, making a total of 74 league appearances (9 goals) for the Blues. He then joined Southport for whom he also turned out for two seasons.
Les, who normally played on the right wing, had joined Carlisle from Preston North End. At Deepdale he had been understudy to the incomparable Tom Finney but he had nevertheless made over 60 first team appearances for North End, most of them in the First Division.
Preston were First Division runners up to Manchester United in his first season there and finished third a year later.
In the summer of 1961, soon after Preston were relegated from Division One, United manager Ivor Powell signed him for a fee of £750. Two days later, he returned to Deepdale to sign Sammy Taylor. Sammy normally featured on the left wing and he was also a member of that promotion side. He also later played for Southport.
As a winger, Les Dagger's greatest strength was as a crosser of the ball and while he was not a prolific goalscorer, he did possess a powerful shot. In all, he made 216 league appearances, scoring 26 goals, for his three league clubs.
After he left Southport, Les later played for and managed a number of non league teams in the Lancashire area.
Les Dagger was born in Preston and apart from National Service in the North East, lived all his life in the town. He was a talented all round sportsman who represented his hometown at cricket and table tennis as well as football. He was also a low handicap golfer and was a committed member of the Preston North End ex Players Association.
Away from football, he was a time served painter and decorator. In later life he worked for Lancashire County Council and was involved in teaching handicapped children and adults.
David Steele
