Fred at FA Cup Exhibition

The Exhibiton containing the 2nd FA Cup trophy (the one which fred won and was first presented in 1896) is currently in Leeds. With it so close to me I had to visit. I have wanted to see the trophy for a long time. Thanks to David Gold the trophy has been saved for the English public to see.

The First thing you see at the Exhibition is a big enlarged photograph of Fred. Which was totally unexpected. There is a board for each final (for the trophy) and because 1896 was the first Fred is obviously on the first board. Shame that I wasn't able to take a photograph of this., although it was the easy picture to find of Fred that is seen in most publications.

I am biased of course in thinking that the trophy is far superior than the current and familiar shaped trophy. It is obviously Victorian in design and may be considered a little fussy by some, but there is no doubt it is a special trophy.

The craftsmanship is obviously superb and the trophy is still in mint condition. It was smaller than I thought it would be, but this made it more delicate and even better than I thought it would be.

There were a few other things at the exhibition although they could have made more of it to be honest. But it was worth the £2 to get in.

There was also a leeds Utd, exhibition in the same room. If anything this proved what a poor history that club has. Either that or the exhitibion was just rubbish.

German Translation and Gainsborough Wednesday

My German friends have been helping translate some of my material on 1FC Nuremberg. So that's good news.

Also, we have discovered that Sheffield Wednesday was not the first 'Wednesday' club that Fred played for. We have discovered several Summer matches that he played for a team called Gainsborough Wednesday. This was in the summer of 1887. So far we have found 5 games, quite a few goals were scored in the games but on the most part they were left uncredited. Fred did score 2 in a 3-2 defeat to another summer football team that contained several excellent Trinity players.

Pensilvania

Was just doing my weekly google searches to see if anything new has hit the internet recently. A weekly ritual that usually brings up something new once or twice a year.

Today it did.

A new book has been digitised and put on line by an american university. It's a book about football in America in 1922. It's a pretty big book. At first I was reading a text version that made little sense, but when I was just about to give up I discovered you could actually look at the original scans. Noticing that phoographs were numbered and that the Google search had a number 2 infront of Fred's name I realised that all I had to do was look at the pictures. 2 minutes later and I'd found it.

A portrait of Fred, and not only that but the realisation that he was a major player in the Eastern Pensilvania Football Association. This is excellent news and fits in perfectly with all other research.

What makes me even more pleased is that the picture is one that I had discovered before but had never been able to copy due to the newspaper libraries rules and regualtions to that particular document. Obviously, this has been a frustration for me for the 3 years since I saw the photograph, and it was brilliant to be able to get it finally. Probably better than finding a brand new photograph, becasue at least it can not longer bug me!

1894

Just a couple of interesting points. The Celtic football history message board has come up with some interesting info about the floodlights I have discussed in a previous post.

Apparently, all the floodlights and all their electrical cables made the ground resemble a dockyard and therefore got given the nickname - Madden's Dockyard. This is after Jonny Madden their centre forward who used to work in the ship building docks.

Madden just happens to be one of the most important players to have played with Fred. He efectively was Fred's mentor at Gainsborough Trinity in the 1887-88 season, Fred's first season with Trinity aged 17.

Madden is a bit of a lost hero. But was possibly the greatest coach of his era. Only thing was that he coached in Prague and therefore his achievements there are not well known here. But they are in Prague!.

I urge people to read about him here and also check out the picture on this page of Madden and Fred sat next to each other in 1887 (front two players Madden on the left fred on the right).

http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Gainsborough_Trinity/Gainsborough_Trinity.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Madden

Bloomer and other research.

Whilst on my travels I have been reading the excellent Steve Bloomer biography by Peter Seddon. I have read parts of it before, but I have yet to read it in it's entirety. It is exchanging hands now for between £30 and £50, which is a shame as it should be more readily available. I guess it's good that the number of books that actually got published have all sold.

Bloomer, was without doubt, a fantastic footballer, the best goalscorer of the era by far. I have enjoyed reading the book and am pleased that him and Fred were such good Friends. I resently found out that Fred did indeed travel to his funeral.

What has amazed me is how many similarities there are between the two players. Apparently Bloomer missed out on playing a 'comeback' international in Derby, he lost a vote 5-6. I learnt today that in 1903 that Fred had had such a fantastic season that he was actually the main contender for the Scotland match in 1903 in Sheffield. This would have been a sensational comeback, considering what he had gone through from 1900-1902. Apparently it was a surprise that he didn't get selected. But he did the English League International that year and scored.

England Photographs

Well, I've been away on holiday for a week in France, but got back in the UK on Saturday and have stayed down south and been into London yesterday and today. Main aim was to end all the research from the National Archives and The British Library.

Mission accomplished!

I was rather excited because I had located two rather important photographs. The England team photographs for the 1894 and 1898 matches against Scotland. Playing in these matches was by far the biggest honor for an individual player at the time (The FA Cup was the highest for a team) and Fred was lucky enough to get three scottish caps. Maybe a little unlucky not to have got a few more.

My resent reading has revealed that the 1898 team was considered to be a legendary side. They were considered the greatest england side right into the 1920's and Fred was part of it and played well by all accounts.

To get a photograph with a forward line up including; Athersmith, Bloomer, G.O. Smith, and Fred is pretty special. The photograph also includes Wreford Brown, Earnest Needham and Robinson (possibly the best goalkeeper from the Victorian Era). It is very special for me to have seen an original and to be able to of copied it too.

Copying it proved very tricky, it was a large photograph, and I had to photograph it (like every other photo) in a security room with video cameras watching me. The artificial light was a complete pain and the photograph was creased down the centre too. I think I've done a good job, but will have too see when I eventually get home.

I have some very good close up shots of Fred and the other players.

The 1894 photograph was easier to copy, and also contains some very find players included. I hope that I can arrange copywrite for their use in the book. They will be very fine inclusions. Team line ups can get a bit repetative and boring, but England photographs elevate themselves enough, and they are good examples. Both were shot in the studio, with the same background as the 1895 one if anyone is familiar with it.