Born: Milford-on-Sea, 22 August 1902
Died: Milford-on-Sea, 28 March 1984
Position: Left back
Signed: 1 February 1933 from Southampton (£3,000)
Fulham debut: Fulham 3-3 Bury, 18 February 1933
Fulham appearances: 217
Fulham goals: 7
Sold: 1 May 1940 (retired)
Reliable left back Mike Keeping arrived at Craven Cottage after his former Southampton manager Jim McIntyre brought him to Craven Cottage in a joint transfer with Johnny Arnold in February 1933. He became a first-team regular, making 217 appearances for the Whites and scoring seven goals, before retiring in May 1940. Keeping played in every game of Fulham’s run to the FA Cup semi-finals in 1936, where they were beaten by Sheffield United at Molineux. Keeping almost was part of the Fulham side that reached the semi-final of the Football League War Cup – with the Whites eventually losing a thriller to West Ham United 4-3 at Stamford Bridge.
After hanging up his boots, Keeping became head coach at Real Madrid in 1949 before taking charge of HBS and Ermelo in Holland and coaching in Denmark, France and Africa before returning to the UK to manage Poole Town in 1959. He ran family garages in Hampshire and flew for a seaplane operator in Southampton before his death in March 1984.
