Born in Hackney on September 22, 1958, Terence Alan Hurlock went on to make 138 appearances for Millwall Football Club, scoring 10 goals and becoming one of the most infamous characters in British football in the late 1980s.
His flowing, curly locks and aggressive demeanour distinguished him from the rest and by the time he left The Den for Rangers in 1990, he had left a legacy as one of the Lions’ biggest players in their history.
After a career that had already taken in trips to Brentford and Reading, Hurlock made his Millwall debut on February 14, 1987 as the Lions defeated Sheffield United 1-0 in a Division Two clash. The midfielder was booked in his first three games and it took just eight for him to be sent off for the first time, in a 1-0 win over Grimsby Town on April 11.
In 14 appearances in his first season as a Lions player, Hurlock managed to pick up five yellow cards and one red, but he also scored his first goal for the club in a 3-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, as Millwall finished in 16th position.
The following season, 1987-88, was a famous one for the club, as they won promotion to the top division for the very first time, winning the Division Two title after a 1-1 draw at Hull City on the penultimate weekend of the campaign.
Hurlock played 28 times over the course of the year, scoring four goals and picking up another eight yellow cards. Strikes at Leeds United and AFC Bournemouth helped the Lions on their way to a historic promotion in a season where the midfielder made his only substitute appearance for the club, when he came on for Tony Cascarino in the 74th minute of a 2-1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers on December 5.
1988-89 saw the club make the step up to the top tier with ease, as they climbed to the summit of the table in October. Hurlock became an integral part of that side, playing in the first 11 games of the season – scoring his first goal of the season in a 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers – before temporarily losing his place to Darren Morgan.
However, the midfielder returned for the now infamous trip to Liverpool, becoming a vital cog in the engine room for months, featuring in every game until an FA Cup tie with Luton Town in January 1989. His 100th appearance came in a goalless draw at home to Manchester United on April 8, while he added two more goals to his total over the season in a 4-0 win over Newcastle United and in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
Hurlock began the 1989-90 campaign as the first-choice central midfielder once more, receiving seven yellow cards in the first 16 games of the campaign, as his rumbustious nature attracted referees’ attentions week in, week out. In a season that unfortunately saw Millwall relegated back to Division Two, the shaggy-haired midfielder made his final appearance (or so we thought) for the club in a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on April 21.
After a year at Rangers and three on the south coast for Southampton, Hurlock returned to The Den on a free transfer in February 1994, making his second debut for the club during a 1-1 draw with Southend United on March 1. But, the midfielder’s career was again disrupted when, eight minutes into the next game at home to Leicester City, he was sent off for the second and final time in his days at The Den.
After being shown the yellow card six more times in the final months of the season, Terry Hurlock made his final start for the Lions in the play-off semi-final second leg at home to Derby County – a game that Millwall lost 3-1 – on May 18. Of course, he was booked!
At the conclusion of the campaign, the midfielder was released on a free transfer before joining Fulham for the 1995-96 season.
‘Terry’s gonna get ya!’