Players

Only Once a Blue (Part 10) Roger Ord
07
Oct
By Tony Onslow
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1890-1899, Articles, History, Players, Tony Onslow

Only Once a Blue (Part 10) Roger Ord

Courtesy of Patrick Brennan Born April 1874 in the Northumberland Coal Mining community of Cramlington, Roger Ord was the second son of Thomas and his Wife, Ann. He was working as a Coal Miner when he began his football career keeping goal for his local side Shankhouse who played their league matches in the Northern Alliance. Known as the Black Watch This club entered the FA Cup in 1892 and surprised all concerned by reaching the first round proper but were beaten, 4-0, by Notts County at Trent Bridge. The local scout persuaded Ord to sign for Everton following his…
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Architect of His Own Success: Samuel Bolton Ashworth
07
Oct
By Jamie Yates
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1900-1909, Articles, History, Jamie Yates, Members Work, Players, ,

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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Clarence Berry, Everton’s Rugby Playing Goalkeeper
08
Jul
By Tony Onslow
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1900-1909, Articles, Members Work, Players, Tony Onslow, , ,

Clarence Berry, Everton’s Rugby Playing Goalkeeper

Clarence Herbert Berry was the first man to sign for Everton having previously played Rugby League football at senior level. He was born on 4 October 1886, and was the fourth child of Frank and Alice who ran a grocery business on Buick Street in Warrington. Berry had begun to serve an apprenticeship as a pattern maker when he began his football career playing under association rules for a local amateur team with the name of Warrington Albion. He then switched codes and signed for Warrington Rugby League club at their Wilderspool home. Clarence Berry made his debut on 25…
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29
May
By Tony Onslow
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1910-1919, Articles, History, Members Work, Players, Tony Onslow

Only Once a Blue (Part 11): Thomas Mayson

Due to the disruption that followed World War One, Tommy Mayson slipped unnoticed by the local press into the ranks of Everton Football Club in June 1919. He was born 8 December 1886 at Whitehaven in Cumberland and was the second child of John, a plasterer, and his Irish-born wife, Sarah. 1891 Census The 1891 census (above) found the family living in the Northumberland village of Mickley, but by 1901 they had settled in the Byker area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Young Tommy began his football career with Walker Parish Church – who were members of the Northern Alliance League – where…
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29
May
By Tony Onslow
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1910-1919, 1920-1929, Articles, History, Members Work, Players, Tony Onslow, ,

Herbert Rigsby & Alex Wall, the Zingari Blues

Herbert Rigsby was born on 22 July 1894, in the model village built by philanthropist William Hartley, to house the employees who worked in his fruit preservative factory at Fazakerley. His Surrey born father, Allen, worked at this location, as a foreman, while his mother Frances, looked after the villa that had been allotted to them. The 1911 census revealed that Herbert was living with his parents at that location and was working as a railway clerk. He was playing amateur football with Zingari League side Marine when he joined the army, at the Old Haymarket in Liverpool on 22…
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07
May
By Tony Onslow
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1878-1889, Articles, History, Members Work, Players, Tony Onslow

Only Once a Blue (10) Charles McGoldrick

Charles McGoldrick was born on 30 November 1865 at 38 York Terrace in Everton and baptised at the church of Our Lady Immaculate. This being the case, his birth might well have been attended by the future director of Everton Football Club, Doctor James Baxter. He was the first child of Denis, an Irish born warehouse man, and his Preston born wife, Mary. McGoldrick was first reported to be playing football on Walton Stiles, for the Stanley club, but by September 1886 had signed for Oakfield Rovers. Formed by members of a Wesleyan Methodist community they had, that year, opened…
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The Charlie Parry Grave Rededication
14
Mar
By Rob Sawyer
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1890-1899, Articles, History, Members Work, Players, Rest in Peace, Rob Sawyer

The Charlie Parry Grave Rededication

An unprepossessing road in the shadow of Goodison Park, is named Salop Street. Salop, or Shropshire as it is more commonly known, might not, at a first glance, be awash with Everton links but that can be misleading. In fact the, largely rural, county has a loyal Blues following (the Shropshire Blues is the local official supporters club branch). Oswestry, 50 miles from Goodison, has several connections links to Everton that go back to the earliest days of the club. George Farmer, a son of the town and a Welsh international footballer, was a key player in the club’s early…
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08
Mar
By Tony Onslow
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1900-1909, Articles, History, Members Work, Players, Tony Onslow

Winterhalder and Dawson, Everton Wingers

Arthur Winterhalder Signed to cover the abrupt exit of the Wilson brothers, Arthur Winterhalder, a promising outside left, joined Everton from West Ham United. He was descended from a family of clockmakers who had emigrated from Germany to settle in the Marylebone area of London. His father Richard did not choose to follow this profession but decided instead to enlist in the 3rd Dragoon Guards and was stationed at Colchester when he married local girl, Martha Gibbons. Around 1878 Richard left the army to work as a carter at Stratford in London. In 1883 he took up a position as…
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01
Mar
By Tony Onslow
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1890-1899, Articles, History, Members Work, Players, Tony Onslow

James McMillan, the Lad from Leven Vale

When the Scottish FA Cup was inaugurated in 1874, Glasgow based Queens Park won it no fewer than six times during the first ten years. Their run of success however, was interrupted for three years running, by a side from the small town of Alexandria. They played under the name of Vale of Leven. This Dunbartonshire town, on 11 April 1869, was the birthplace of James McMillan. Born to George, a dye works labourer, and his wife Martha at Bryson’s Land, in the parish of Bonhill, he first arrested the attention of the local football agents while playing for Vale…
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21
Feb
By Tony Onslow
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1878-1889, Articles, History, Members Work, Players, Tony Onslow, , ,

Robert Stevenson and William George

Coming from dissimilar parts of the United Kingdom and completely different backgrounds, the paths of these aforementioned individuals crossed while they were playing football in Liverpool. Robert Stevenson was one of several young Scotsmen tempted to try his luck by an agent who covered the area around the Ayrshire coalfield. He was born on 24 May 1861 at 34 Ardeer Square in the coastal town of Stevenson where, along with his siblings, he spent his childhood. His father, George, was a coalminer while his mother, Margaret, had the maiden name of Strain. The 1881 census indicated that the family had…
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