1900-1909

The Day George Robey Brought Show Business to Goodison Park

The Day George Robey Brought Show Business to Goodison Park

George Robey in his late 60s - National Portrait Gallery Football and showbiz have been bedfellows since the early days of the sport. Before the dawn of the 20th Century, theatrical matches were staged at Everton’s ground. In the 1920s, Jack Cock combined spearheading the Blues attack with treading the boards in music hall, subsequently trying his hand at movie acting. In 1968, the Golden Vision play, screened on the BBC, immortalised Alex Young on celluloid. More recently, the Toffees’ late chairman, Bill Kenwright, was a successful and high-profile impresario in the world of theatre. Other football clubs have, of…
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George and Annie Jane Goodison

George and Annie Jane Goodison

Towards the Foundation of a Stadium, and how Classical Egypt came to Waterloo Mike Royden The name ‘Goodison Park’ has always had a touch of class about it, but it so easily could have been called ‘Mere Green’ or possibly ‘Walton Stiles’:  Mere Green being the land leased (and later purchased) for the new Everton FC stadium, and Walton Stiles being the ancient footpath that once ran from the Walton Church area, approximately along what is now Goodison Road, down Spellow Lane and on to County Road.   But where did the name originate, and how did it become the name…
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Match of the Day – 13 September 1902

Match of the Day – 13 September 1902

Everton v Newcastle United 1902 by Mike Royden There had been high expectations for the Everton side in the summer of 1902, following their runners-up spot to Sunderland in the previous season - their highest placing since a second-place finish, again to Sunderland, in 1894/95. However, the Blues had a dismal start to the 1902/03 season. The first three games were lost, with the first point coming with a 1-1 draw away to Wolves. Thankfully, the season improved the following week, with a satisfying 3-1 defeat of the Reds in front of 40,000 fans. Click image to view the film on the BFI…
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Jack Taylor – Everton’s Son of the Rock

Jack Taylor – Everton’s Son of the Rock

by Rob Sawyer ‘He played anywhere readily and played well anywhere. No Everton player has left Evertonians with a more fragrant memory.’ Thomas Keates (1928) Portrait of Jack during his playing days There must have been something in the water in Dunbartonshire in the second half of the 19th century. Between 1889 and 1897, six footballers with strong connections to the Clydeside town of Dumbarton represented the Toffees. First there was Alex Latta, followed by Richard ‘Dickie’ Boyle, Abe Hartley and the Bell brothers (John and Laurie). But only one, John ‘Jack’ Taylor, would get his hands on silverware whilst…
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Net Gains: John Alexander Brodie’s Sporting and Civic Legacy

Net Gains: John Alexander Brodie’s Sporting and Civic Legacy

Rob Sawyer appears on French TV Recently, Heritage Society member Rob Sawyer appeared on the French TV channel ARTE, to tell the story of the origin of goal nets. It's an enjoyable film put together by our gallic visitors, capturing some great shots around Goodison, as well as the surrounding area. Unfortunately, there are no subtitles, but if your French skills aren't quite up to the job, Rob's fascinating article telling the full tale appears below. (click the image to watch the video) Net Gains: John Alexander Brodie’s Sporting and Civic Legacy Rob Sawyer The rustle of the net as…
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Lost in France: Leigh Richmond Roose

Lost in France: Leigh Richmond Roose

A talk given by author Spencer Vignes to the Everton FC Shareholder's Association Leigh Richmond Roose Leigh Roose was born in a small village called Holt which lies just on the Welsh side of the border between England and Wales a few miles outside Wrexham. As a youngster he took to goalkeeping like a duck to water, perfecting his art during kick-abouts in Holt and while at university in Aberystwyth where he went to do a science degree. While he was in Aberystwyth he also played for the top local side, Aberystwyth Town, with who he won a Welsh Cup…
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Billy and Bob: The Fabulous Balmer Brothers

Billy and Bob: The Fabulous Balmer Brothers

Billy and Bob: The Fabulous Balmer Brothers By Rob Sawyer William and Robert Balmer formed a fearsome, and fruitful, fraternal partnership in Everton’s back-line in the early years of the 20th Century. William’s selection for national team duty would also make him the club’s first Scouse England cap. They were the sons of James (a carpenter and joiner) and Martha. William Atherton was born on 29 July 1875 whilst Robert followed on 28 November 1881. The pair - better known and Billy and Bob - grew-up alongside their siblings John (b. 1874) and Mary (b. 1877) at the family home…
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A Tribute to Alexander ‘Sandy’ Young

A Tribute to Alexander ‘Sandy’ Young

Everton honour 1906 cup hero Sandy Young by Lyndon Lloyd | 03/09/2014 Alex 'Sandy' Young was honoured today in Edinburgh Everton FC and Everton Heritage Society unveiled a new headstone in Edinburgh's Seafield cemetery today to mark the grave of Alex 'Sandy' Young, one of the club's first legends. Still the fourth-highest goalscorer in Everton's history, Young was the scorer of the winning goal in the 1906 FA Cup Final win over Newcastle United that clinched the trophy for the Blues for the first time. In all, he found the net 127 times in 314 appearances in the decade between…
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Everton FC’s 1909 pre-season tour of South America, Edwardian style

Everton FC’s 1909 pre-season tour of South America, Edwardian style

The amazing story of Everton's pioneering 1909 tour of South America In the summer months of 1909 a 13-strong Everton FC playing staff led by two directors and a trainer, together with travelling companions Tottenham Hotspur, travelled 14,000 miles and spent more than six weeks at sea, visiting Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina – “to introduce and develop first class football.” Their story is a fascinating one – and thanks to the diligence of director E. Bainbridge and an exhaustive tour diary he produced for the Echo, the story of the ground-breaking tour can be retold a century later. So settle…
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Architect of His Own Success: Samuel Bolton Ashworth

Architect of His Own Success: Samuel Bolton Ashworth

Samuel Bolton Ashworth was an amateur left-half of the early 1900s. Born 11 March 1877 in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, the son of a Mr. Thomas Ashworth who served as manager of Glebe Colliery, and Betsy Bolton; he was one of 10 children and played youth football with a succession of local sides in the Staffordshire leagues, before joining Football League founder members Stoke City for the 1901/02 season. In two seasons at Stoke, Sam Ashworth made 39 league and cup appearances, filling each of the half-back roles, but never scoring a goal – he never troubled the scorers once in his…
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