Yesterday I was taken to Clumber Park, to meet a man who scored a goal at Wembley and his wife. I can remember seeing the goal but I am not going to embelish on the occasion, just to preseve his modesty. It was the Varsity Match 1970, Cambridge University v Oxford University, a crowd of 10,000+ and the winning goal...1-0! So, quite important.
We met in the Dukeries near Worksop, in Nottinghamshire, the town where our present England Cricket captain was educated. It's Robin Hood country, but I couldn't find any international archers. It's where George Best comes from...not THE GB, but a goalkeeper who played for Blackpool and who started his career way back with the local Town side.
And we shall not forget local lads, Chris Wood and England manager Graham Taylor ("do I not like that") who come from the same town.
Clumber Park was a Army Training Centre for the First World War and the estate was owned by the Seventh Duke of Newcastle (yes, I know); Henry Pelham Archibald Pelham (yes I know) Clinton. This is just one person, by the way..
Don't ignore Worksop's Henry Haslam who was the outside-left and captain in the Great Britain Olympic team that won Gold in Paris in 1900.
He also played for the famous Upton Park FC. This was a team that was founded in 1866 and played in the first FA Cup competition 1871-2. In 1884 they met the great Preston North End in the last 16 of the Cup and drew away 1-1. Upton Park then complained that Preston's team included players who were being paid. Preston were disqualified and Upton Park went on to lose to eventual cup winners, Blackburn Rovers, 0-3 in the quarter-finals.
Haslam's father was the estate manager at the Duke of Newcastle's estate and Henry was educated at Uppingham School, which by the way, also has a finger in the historical pie of football. Henry is recorded as having played for Worksop Town, Tonbridge Angels in Kent, Tunbridge Wells, mainly for Upton Park (with whom he toured in 1900-1), Barnet and West Norwood.
The Olympics were purely amateur and as UPFC only played friendlies, they represented Great Britain in the football tournament. The team included players from Crouch End Vampires, Chelmsford, Ilford and Bridgport FC. As a demonstration sport UPFC played the USFSA XI of France with a 4-0 win.
Above: Upton Park FC 1900. (played in the first FA Cup competition too). Henry with ball.
The club was responsible for two major law changes in Association Football: in 1870, they supported the new "handling the ball" law which stopped players from being to catch the ball and a year later in making the goalkeeper a specific position on the field.
Most famous players from Upton Park FC include Charles Alcock later the President of the FA and Alfred Stair and Segar Bastard (yes) both official referees as well as having other honours to their name.
Henry served in the First World War with the West Yorkshire Rgt 1915-20. Following this, he was convicted of shoplifting in 1926, given 12 months and hard labour and then in 1937 committed a similar crime. He died in 1942 aged 63.
and previously
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