User:Bladeboy1889/sandbox/List of Sheffield United F.C. wartime guest players

During both World War I and World War II, the English FA suspended all competitive football, cancelling both the Football League and the FA Cup from the 1915–16 to the 1918–1919 seasons, and again from the 1939–40 to the 1944–45 seasons.

World War I

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Organised football in England had initially continued in 1914 and 1915, following the outbreak of hostilities, but growing political and media pressure eventually prompted the FA to suspend both league and cup football, and declared that clubs were no longer allowed to employ men as playing staff, insisting that these players should be working towards the war effort. The clubs argued in return that football should continue, insisting that without the benefit of gate receipts the clubs would go out of business, and that football could play a role in raising the morale of the country.

The argument from the clubs won out and they were allowed to organise themselves into leagues to play a schedule of 'non-competitive' fixtures.

List of Sheffield United F.C. guest players during World War I
Name Nationality Position Contracted club First game Last game Games Goals Refs and notes
Sheffield United career
Richard Allott   England FW Chelsea 4 September 1915 4 September 1915 1 0 [1][WWI 1]
John Ball   England FW Silverwood Colliery 18 April 1919 4 September 1915 8 4 [2]
P. Barrett   England FW None 3 November 1918 28 December 1918 6 0 [3][WWI 2]
Frank Bates   England GK Eckington Rovers 24 November 1917 1 January 1919 22 0 [4]
Harold Bell   England MF Craven Sports 16 March 1918 16 March 1918 1 0 [5]
J. Booth   England FW Great Central Railway 7 September 1918 1 February 1919 17 1 [6][WWI 3]
Charles Brelsford   England DF The Wednesday 28 December 1918 1 March 1919 2 0 [7]
Harold Buddery   England FW Portsmouth 18 December 1915 6 January 1917 25 9 [8]
E. Buet   England DF Unknown 6 April 1918 6 April 1918 1 0 [8][WWI 4]
Ralph Burkinshaw   England MF The Wednesday 1 January 1919 1 February 1919 5 1 [9]
Tom Cawley   England FW Leeds City 14 April 1917 14 April 1917 1 0 [10]
Bob Chantrey   England MF Kilnhurst Town 12 October 1918 12 October 1918 1 0 [11][WWI 5]
Fred Charles   England FW Castleford Town 11 December 1915 28 September 1918 27 6 [12]
A. Cook   England FW Unknown 9 November 1918 8 March 1919 3 0 [13][WWI 6]
Bert Cook   England MF None 4 September 1915 4 March 1916 2 0 [13]
Joe Cooney   England MF Silverwood 26 October 1918 2 November 1918 2 0 [14][WWI 7]
S. Ford   England FW Nunnery Colliery 2 November 1918 2 November 1918 1 0 [15][WWI 8]
Ellis Hall   England DF South Shields 4 September 1915 4 September 1915 1 0 [16]
George Handley   England MF Barrow 28 September 1918 26 April 1919 18 3 [17]
G. Harrison   England GK None 6 April 1918 6 April 1918 1 0 [18][WWI 9]
S. Holmes   England FW Unknown 16 March 1918 16 March 1918 1 0 [19][WWI 10]
S. Jones   England MF Unknown 23 February 1918 23 February 1918 1 0 [20][WWI 11]
H. Kay   England MF Unknown 25 December 1915 24 April 1916 11 7 [21][WWI 12]
Dick Leafe   England FW West Ham United 18 September 1915 2 October 1915 3 0 [22]
Harry Maycock   England MF None 30 March 1918 1 April 1918 2 0 [23]
Joe Mitchell   England GK Rotherham County 7 September 1918 12 October 1918 5 0 [24]
C. Needham   England GK Darfield United 4 September 1915 4 September 1915 1 0 [25][WWI 13]
Arthur Pace   England FW Worksop Town 19 January 1918 19 January 1918 1 0 [26]
George Philip   Scotland FW Sunderland 7 September 1918 7 September 1918 10 2 [27]
John Poole   England DF Nottingham Forest 22 January 1916 8 March 1919 25 1 [28]
A. Price   England MF Unknown 6 April 1918 6 April 1918 1 0 [29][WWI 14]
Arthur Robins   England FW None 29 January 1916 4 March 1916 3 0 [30]
Jack Severn   England DF Denaby United 1 January 1919 4 January 1919 2 0 [31][WWI 15]
Arthur Sharp   England MF Manton Colliery 30 March 1918 30 March 1918 1 1 [31][WWI 16]
A. Smith   England DF Wycliffe 30 March 1918 30 March 1918 1 0 [32][WWI 17]
P. Smith   England DF None 5 October 1918 5 October 1918 5 0 [33][WWI 18]
Bert Spratt   England FW Unknown 16 February 1918 16 February 1918 1 0 [34][WWI 19]
R. Stewart   England FW Unknown 25 December 1918 25 December 1918 1 0 [35][WWI 20]
'Swift'   England FW None 25 February 1918 25 February 1918 1 0 [36][WWI 21]
R. Taylor   England DF Unknown 6 April 1918 2 November 1918 2 0 [37][WWI 22]
Arthur Tillotson   England DF None 26 December 1918 15 March 1919 5 0 [38]
Fred Wesey   England MF Derby Midland Railway 26 April 1919 26 April 1919 1 0 [39]
J. Whiting   England FW None 22 April 1916 30 September 1916 2 0 [40][WWI 23]
Alf Wilson   England DF Rotherham Town 18 September 1915 1 March 1919 43 1 [41]
H. Wilson   England FW Unknown 6 April 1918 6 April 1918 1 0 [42][WWI 24]
'Wright'   England FW Unknown 14 September 1918 14 September 1918 1 0 [43][WWI 25]
H. Wrightson   England FW Sheffield Schools 16 December 1916 16 December 1916 1 0 [44][WWI 26]

Notes

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  1. ^ Richard Allott grew up around the Rotherham area and had spent two seasons playing in Chelsea's reserves prior to World War I. After one guest appearance for the Blades, Allott also guested for Barnsley, Rotherham County and Grimsby Town during the war and was known to have been playing for Denaby United during the 1920–21 season.[1]
  2. ^ P. Barrett was reported by the local press as being an air mechanic with the Royal Flying Corps, stationed in Yorkshire.[3]
  3. ^ J.W. Booth was a local amateur player in Sheffield, who played as a guest for both United and local rivals The Wednesday during the war. Following the end of the war, Booth turned professional with Scunthorpe and Lindsey United, playing in The Midland League but returned to amateur status in 1922.[6]
  4. ^ There are no records as to the identity of E. Buet save for being listed in The Football League records as having played as a guest in one fixture for United in April 1918.[8]
  5. ^ Local newspaper reports recorded Bob Chantrey as being from Treeton. he played occasionally as a guest for United's reserves during the 1915–16 and 1916–17 seasons. Chantrey played only one first team game for United but did recommend fellow Kilnhurst Town player Ernest Milton to the club, who went on to play over 200 games for the Blades.[11]
  6. ^ A. Cook was described as being a 'youngster from the Mexborough district' by the local press, he had previously played a few games for Rotherham County in 1916.[13]
  7. ^ Joe Cooney was a young player from Rawmarsh who played for local side Silverwood. Having made a handful of appearances as a guest for Grimsby Town, Cooney played two games for United at the tail-end of the war. He signed for Mexborough at the end of the war and was later reported as playing for the Maltby Main Colliery side in 1924.[14]
  8. ^ S. Ford was a local based player who had made ten appearances for The Wednesday, as well as turning out for Rotherham County and Lincoln City before making his sole appearance for United in 1918. Ford signed for Barnsley after the war but failed to make a first team appearance.[15]
  9. ^ Ernest Blackwell's train was delayed while on the way to a match against Barnsley so 'Lieutenant Harrison' agreed to play in goal for United. Described as a 'Barnsley Officer', he also played a couple of games as a guest for Barnsley and one for Rotherham County.[18]
  10. ^ Holmes was described only as a 'young local' in press reports.[19]
  11. ^ Reports referred to Jones as a 'local lad', but offered no further information.[20]
  12. ^ Described as an 'Elsecar lad' and that he was 'working in Sheffield' there is little else to identify H Kay in contemporary reports, despite him scoring seven goals for United in his eleven appearances. He was also listed as guesting for Rotherham County, Barnsley and Bradford Park Avenue.[21]
  13. ^ C. Needham was a local goalkeeper who guested for United in the first wartime game in 1915. The team was much changed from the one that had won the FA Cup a few months earlier and struggled to compete. Needham was described as having 'performed very creditably' and had picked up an injury in the second half, but conceded seven goals and never played for the first team again. Needham later joined the Coldstream Guards.[25]
  14. ^ No further details were recorded in contemporary reports as to the identity of A. Price.[25]
  15. ^ Jack Severn was playing for Denaby United when he appeared as guest for the Blades in two consecutive games in 1919, the second of which was abandoned with then minutes remaining due to bad light after kicking off late.[31]
  16. ^ Arthur Sharp (or possibly Sharpe) was a described in reports as 'a native of Barlborough and guested regularly for United's reserves during the 1915–16 season but made only one appearance for the first team in 1918.[31]
  17. ^ A. Smith was referred to as a 'Hillsborough youth' in the United programme.[31]
  18. ^ P. Smith was listed by both the United programme and the local press as playing five games as a guest in 1918. The club recorded him as Percy Beaumont, a reserve player already with the club, but it is not clear why he would need to play under a pseudonym.[33]
  19. ^ Bert Spratt had played regularly as a guest for both Rotherham County and Sheffield Wednesday before making his sole appearance for United, before playing Leeds City in the same capacity.[34]
  20. ^ R. Stewart was reported as a 'Sheffielder' and was an army private who had previously guested for Millwall.[34]
  21. ^ The local press reported a player called 'Swift' as guesting in one game in 1918, however there are no other mentions of him and United listed Jimmy Simmons as having played during the match, making it likely he was playing under a pseudonym.[34]
  22. ^ No indication was given as to the identity of 'Taylor' although the local press had indicated that C. Taylor, the Gainsborough Trinity defender, had agreed to help United out as a guest, but it was never confirmed that this took place.[37]
  23. ^ 'Lieutenant Whiting' was billed as hailing from the East Riding of Yorkshire and was a serving soldier stationed near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.[40]
  24. ^ H. Wilson was described in reports as 'local' and an 'army player'.[40]
  25. ^ 'Wright' was described as 'an air mechanic' in reports.[43]
  26. ^ H. Wrightson was a sixteen-year-old who had travelled to Leeds to watch United play Leeds City after working through the night. When United were a man short, Wrightson offered to fill in.[44]

World War II

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List of Sheffield United F.C. guest players during World War II
Name Nationality Position Contracted club First game Last game Games Goals Refs and notes
Sheffield United career
Bobby Barclay   England FW Oldham Athletic 4 November 1944 17 March 1945 8 5 [45]
Eddie Boot   England DF Huddersfield Town 24 May 1941 24 May 1941 1 0 [6]
Gordon Bradley   England GK Leicester City 5 December 1942 12 December 1942 2 0 [46]
L. Butcher   England FW Fullwood 8 February 1941 8 February 1941 1 0 [47][WWII 1]
Alf Calverley   England FW Huddersfield Town 18 November 1944 25 November 1944 2 0 [48]
George Dewis   England FW Leicester City 25 December 1944 10 March 1945 3 3 [49]
John Fulford   England FW Corinthian 22 March 1940 23 March 1940 2 0 [50][WWII 2]
Bert Knott   England FW Hull City 1 September 1945 6 October 1945 5 5 [51]
George Laking   England DF Middlesbrough 25 May 1942 25 May 1942 1 0 [52]
Jackie Milburn   England MF Newcastle United 26 May 1945 26 May 1945 1 0 [53]
Walter Millership   England FW Sheffield Wednesday 25 May 1942 25 May 1942 1 0 [54]
Ernie Nettleton   England FW Hartlepools United 30 December 1944 30 December 1945 1 0 [55]
Laurie Scott   England DF Arsenal 23 September 1944 2 December 1944 2 0 [56]
Harry Shepherd   England DF Rotherham United 9 May 1945 9 May 1945 1 0 [57][WWII 3]
Tiny Smith   England MF Plymouth Argyle 28 October 1944 28 October 1944 1 0 [58]
Freddie Steele   England FW Stoke City 31 August 1940 31 August 1940 1 0 [59]
Hugh Swift   England DF Sheffield Wednesday 31 March 1945 31 March 1945 1 0 [36]
Bill Whitaker   England DF Chesterfield 4 November 1944 4 November 1944 1 0 [60]

Notes

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  1. ^ Little is recorded about the identity of Butcher who was playing for Fullwood, a local Preston based side, but turned out for United when they visited Preston North End and were a player short. The Football League records refer to him only as 'an airman based near Preston.'[47]
  2. ^ Having grown up in Sheffield and studied medicine at Sheffield University, John Fulford had been playing for Corinthian prior to the outbreak of war. Fulford made two guest appearances for the Blades, on consecutive days in March 1940. He was killed, alongside his brother, during an RAF raid over Brest, France.[50]
  3. ^ Harry Shepherd was an amateur reserve player for Rotherham United during the war. He later became a professional with Hull City but never played in the first team.[57]

References

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General
  • Clarebrough and Kirkham (2008). Sheffield United football Club Who's Who. The Hallamshire Press. ISBN 978-1-874718-69-7.
Specific
  1. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 33.
  2. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 39.
  3. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 44.
  4. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 45.
  5. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 49.
  6. ^ a b c Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 58.
  7. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 64.
  8. ^ a b c Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 72.
  9. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 73.
  10. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 81.
  11. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, pp. 81–82.
  12. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 82.
  13. ^ a b c Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 89.
  14. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 90.
  15. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 124.
  16. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 144.
  17. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 148.
  18. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 150.
  19. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 166.
  20. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 183.
  21. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 188.
  22. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 200.
  23. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 225.
  24. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 229.
  25. ^ a b c Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 240.
  26. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 247.
  27. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 256.
  28. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 259.
  29. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 260.
  30. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 274.
  31. ^ a b c d e Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 286.
  32. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 295.
  33. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 300.
  34. ^ a b c d Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 303.
  35. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 307.
  36. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 310.
  37. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, pp. 311–312.
  38. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 318.
  39. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 340.
  40. ^ a b c Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 345.
  41. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 351.
  42. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 352.
  43. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 357.
  44. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 358.
  45. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, pp. 39–40.
  46. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 62.
  47. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 74.
  48. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 77.
  49. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 104.
  50. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 128.
  51. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 196.
  52. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 198.
  53. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, pp. 227–228.
  54. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 228.
  55. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 241.
  56. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 284.
  57. ^ a b Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 291.
  58. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 298.
  59. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, p. 306.
  60. ^ Clarebrough and Kirkham 2008, pp. 341–342.