Obituary: Dave Sexton OBE, winning manager and coach who delivered success for club and country

Born in Islington, the son of a professional boxer, Sexton had an unremarkable playing career during the 1950s. He made most appearances for West Ham and also played for Luton, Leyton Orient, Brighton and Crystal Palace before beginning his coaching career at Chelsea.

His first managerial role came with Orient and he also coached at Arsenal before returning to Stamford Bridge in 1967 as manager, succeeding Tommy Docherty, who went on to manage Scotland.

The two men were very different characters, with Docherty’s firebrand approach in complete contrast to Sexton’s calm and technical style of coaching.

But Sexton did more than just steady the ship, leading Chelsea to three successive top-six finishes and, in 1970, the first FA Cup final victory in their history.

One of his biggest achievements was marrying the flamboyant skills of Charlie Cooke and Peter Osgood with the uncompromising approach of defenders Ron “Chopper” Harris and David Webb.

The FA Cup final against Leeds was notable more for the latter approach and a replay was needed after a brutal Wembley clash ended 2-2.

The teams met again at Old Trafford and Chelsea fought back from a goal down to win 2-1 thanks to Webb’s injury-time header, securing not just a treasured trophy but also European football.

And Sexton excelled on that stage as well, leading Chelsea to Cup Winners’ Cup glory in 1971. The London side saw off Manchester City in an all-English semi-final and then defeated Real Madrid, again in a replay, to lift their first European trophy.

That proved to be the high point of Sexton’s reign, with his remaining three years marked by a decline in the league and a public falling out with fans’ hero Osgood that ultimately spelled the end for both men at Chelsea.

Osgood was sold to Southampton and Sexton was sacked in October 1974, but only a few weeks later he was back in the dugout as manager of QPR.

He had not lost his touch and in the 1975-76 season Rangers came within a point of winning the title, still the closest they have ever come, with Liverpool just pipping them.

By a quirk of fate, Sexton’s next move was to succeed  Docherty once again, this time at Manchester United, but he did not find the same success he had at Chelsea.

United supporters appreciated Docherty’s gung-ho style and did not take well to Sexton’s more measured approach and the highlight of his reign was an FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal in 1979, while United were runners-up to Liverpool in the league the next season.

Sexton’s forays into the  transfer market were mixed, with Ray Wilkins a notable success, but the record signing of striker Garry Birtles from  Nottingham Forest for £1.25 million was widely considered to be a disaster.

Sexton was sacked in 1981 and a brief spell in charge of Coventry followed, but it was with the Football Association that he found success later in his career.

It was a natural home for his coaching abilities and pioneering approach to technology and he led the England under-21 side to back-to-back European titles in 1982 and 1984 before becoming the first FA technical director at Lilleshall.

He settled in Kenilworth where a building, Sexton House, was named in his honour in 2008, while he was awarded an OBE for services to football in 2005.

ELEANOR CROOKS