Albert Pearson (footballer)

Albert Victor Pearson (6 September 1892 – 24 January 1975) was an English footballer who played as a forward for Sheffield United, Port Vale, Liverpool, Llanelli, Rochdale, Stockport County and Ashton National Gas. His son-in-law, George Heppell, and great-great-grandson, Tom Conlon, also played for Port Vale.

Albert Pearson

Personal information
Full name	Albert Victor Pearson[1]
Date of birth	2 September 1892[1]
Place of birth	Tynemouth, England[1]
Date of death	24 January 1975 (aged 82)[1]
Place of death	Newcastle-under-Lyme, England[1]
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1910–1912	Hebburn Argyle
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1912–1914	Sheffield United	6	(0)
1914–1919	Port Vale	31	(14)
1919–1921	Liverpool	44	(4)
1921–1922	Port Vale	19	(1)
1922–1923	Llanelly
1923–1925	Rochdale	52	(12)
1925–1929	Stockport County	69	(6)
	Ashton National Gas
Total		221+	(37+)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Pearson played for Hebburn Argyle and Sheffield United before joining Port Vale in the summer of 1914.[1] He was a first team regular during the war years and was a member of the side that won the North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup in 1915.[1] The club went into abeyance due to war concerns during the 1915–16 and 1916–17 seasons, but he continued his first team duties at The Old Recreation Ground upon the club's re-forming.[1] He was sold to First Division side Liverpool in January 1919, however Sheffield received some of the fee as they claimed he was still on their books, despite him leaving them five years previous.[1] He missed only nine games in his second season for the "Reds", but fell out of favour at Anfield the next season.[2] He went back to Port Vale in May 1921 and regained his first team place, and played 19 Second Division games before he picked up an injury in February 1922 and was released at the end of the season.[1] He moved on to Llanelli, Rochdale, Stockport County and Ashton National Gas.[1]

Personal life

His son-in-law, George Heppell, played for Port Vale between 1937 and 1952, whilst his great-great-grandson, Tom Conlon, joined the club in 2018.[3]

Statistics

Source:[4]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sheffield United	1912–13	First Division	5	0	0	0	5	0
	1913–14	First Division	1	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		6	0	0	0	6	0
Port Vale	1914–15	Central League	31	14	3	0	34	14
Liverpool	1919–20	First Division	34	4	5	0	39	4
	1920–21	First Division	10	0	3	0	13	0
	Total		44	4	8	0	52	4
Port Vale	1921–22	Second Division	19	1	1	0	20	1
Rochdale	1923–24	Third Division North	34	7	2	0	36	7
	1924–25	Third Division North	11	3	2	0	13	3
	1925–26	Third Division North	7	2	0	0	7	2
	Total		52	12	4	0	56	12
Stockport County	1925–26	Second Division	11	2	0	0	11	2
	1926–27	Third Division North	25	3	1	0	26	3
	1927–28	Third Division North	20	1	2	1	22	2
	1928–29	Third Division North	13	0	0	0	13	0
	Total		69	6	3	1	72	7
Total			221	37	19	1	240	38

Honours

Port Vale

• North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup winner: 1915

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 227. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
2. "Albert Pearson Profile". LFCHistory.net. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
3. Baggaley, Michael (16 March 2020). "Tom Conlon on family pride and his Port Vale history". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
4. Albert Pearson at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)