Edgar Field

Edgar Field (29 July 1854 – 11 January 1934) was an English amateur footballer who helped Clapham Rovers win the FA Cup in 1880. He made two appearances for England as a full back.

Edgar Field
Personal information
Full name Edgar Field
Date of birth (1854-07-29)29 July 1854
Place of birth Wallingford, Berkshire, England
Date of death 11 January 1934(1934-01-11) (aged 79)
Place of death Derby, England
Position(s) Full back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Reading
0000–1880 Clapham Rovers
National team
1876–1881 England 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Field was born in Wallingford, then in Berkshire, and attended Lancing College[1] where he played in the school team, before leaving to play for Reading during the mid-1870s. He later joined Clapham Rovers before his first international match; he also represented Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

He made his international debut against Scotland at Hamilton Crescent, Partick on 4 March 1876. According to Philip Gibbons, "the England side tended to be chosen on availability rather than skill alone."[2] England struggled throughout the game, which saw the home team run out winners by three goals to nil.[3]

He was a member of the Clapham Rovers team that reached the FA Cup final twice losing 1–0 to Old Etonians in 1879, going on to win the cup in 1880 with a 1–0 win over Oxford University at The Kennington Oval.

His second and final cap came five years after his first, also against Scotland on 12 March 1881. Although most reports credit John Smith with a hat-trick, at least two sources say Field scored an own goal. If he did, he was the first player to do so in an England match. England went down to a "humiliating"[2] 6–1 defeat.[4]

Career outside football

Field was described as a wine merchant in Wallingford at the 1891 Census, but he was a Chartered Accountant by profession.[1] He practised initially in London, ultimately moving to Derby in 1913 just prior to the First World War. He joined the land agents Messrs Shaw and Fuller of College Place, Derby, where one of the partners Mr. Fuller was his brother-in-law. Field died at his home in Derby on 11 January 1934, aged 79.

In May 2008, a photograph of the 1876 England team was discovered in the archives of the Derby City Council Local Studies Library. Field had sent the photograph to the Derbyshire Football Express, and the picture was used in an article published on the 50th anniversary of the match. This is believed to be the earliest known picture of an England football team.[5][6]

Honours

Clapham Rovers

References
  1. Betts, Graham (2006). England: Player by player. Green Umbrella Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 1-905009-63-1.
  2. Gibbons, Philip (2001). Association Football in Victorian England - A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900. Upfront Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 1-84426-035-6.
  3. "Scotland 3 - England 0; 4 March 1876 (Match summary)". www.englandstats.com. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
  4. "England 1 - Scotland 6; 12 March 1881 (Match summary)". www.englandstats.com. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
  5. "Picture unearthed of England's First(sic) Football Team". skynews. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  6. Britten, Nick (8 May 2008). "First ever England football team picture". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 4 September 2008.
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