My heritage work with
the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) 2016 - 2020
A)
2016: a
plaque to the first ever goalscorer in the football league
In November 2016 the PFA financially supported the blue plaque
unveiling that celebrated Bolton Wanderers’ Kenny Davenport as the first ever
goalscorer in the football league.
The goal, originally thought to have been an own goal by Aston
Villa’s Gershom Cox, was revealed in 2013 when myself and Robert Boyling from
the British Library discovered that the kick-off in the Aston Villa game had
been delayed.
This meant that Davenport’s goal at 3:47pm on September 8,
1888, for Bolton Wanderers against Derby County signified the first ever
football league goal.
The plaque, which was placed in the same area as Wanderers’
former ground, Pikes Lane, was unveiled by Robert and myself in November 2016 with the Mayor of Bolton, and Kenny
Davenport’s family in attendance.
I was quoted as saying at the time:
When I was writing my Origins of the Football
League book that was published by Amberley I didn’t quite buy that Gershom Cox
was the first ever goalscorer in the football league.
Following the unveiling, which was screened live on Granada
News, Robert and myself along with my son, Charlie, and PFA Chief Executive,
Gordon Taylor, were also welcomed onto the pitch at half-time during Bolton’s
1-0 victory against Coventry City.
Phil Mason, Bolton Wanderers Chaplain, said at the time:
This is such a significant occasion as we gather
to celebrate a key moment in Bolton Wanderers football club.
Kenny Davenport was the first Bolton player to play for
England and was part of the first group of footballers to become professionals
in 1885.
The blue plaque is visible on the Lostock Electrical Projects
Company building on Bankfield Street.
B)
2018: Overseeing the blue plaques and murals in
Blackpool to England stars Jimmy Armfield and Frank Swift
On 6 September 2018, the 1958 Munich hero Harry Gregg made the
trip by car and ferry to Blackpool to unveil a plaque at Revoe Library to the Manchester
City and England legendary keeper Frank Swift, who on 6 February 1958 sadly
perished at Munich airport.
This was one of two blue plaques unveiled on the day. The other
was at the nearby Lune Grove entrance of Revoe Learning Academy, which both
attended and where twin murals, designed by the current pupils, of the players
have also taken pride of place in the new sports based playground. Families of
both men attended on the day and the event was attended by a number of football
fans of various teams.
I co-ordinated the work to honour these two great players in
which the PFA, Blackpool
Civic Trust, the school and the two men’s families all worked together to bring
to fruition an idea first mooted by Frank’s late daughter Iris to myself when I
was writing a biography of her father that was published by DB publishing.
https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sport/football/blue-plaques-unveiled-two-blackpools-favourite-sons-jimmy-armfield-and-frank-swift-999145
C)
November 2018 : A plaque to Fred Spiksley at Gainsborough
Trinity FC
The
book Flying Over an Olive Grove: the remarkable story of Fred Spiksley, a
flawed football hero by myself and Clive and Ralph Nicholson that was first
published by Red Axe in 2016 has long since sold out. A paperback edition is
set for release by Pen and Sword Publishers in the summer of 2021. The work is
now the background to the film on the early history of professional football by
Rough Jersey Productions that I set up with the assistance of Clive Nicholson. http://roughjersey.com/
Before
moving on to Sheffield Wednesday, Spiksley was a star at his hometown club of
Gainsborough Trinity from 1887-1891. In 2018, Trinity decided to put up a plaque
at their ground to commemorate him and it was unveiled by Jason Lee from the
PFA.
https://www.gainsboroughtrinity.com/commercial/darron-childs-practice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Xxmo6LcoM
D)
October 2019: Red plaque to John Aston senior at his Manchester
school
In October
2019 a red Manchester City Council plaque was unveiled at the school of former
pupil John Aston senior, the great Manchester United player and coach who also
played for England on many occasions. The chief guest was Brian Kidd, who spoke
warmly about how John Aston senior played a great part in developing his
talents when he was a young player at Old Trafford in the 1960s. European Cup
winner John Aston junior, who in the
weeks leading up to the unveiling had spoken, along with myself, to all the
pupils currently at the school, was deeply touched at the day’s events at which
Denis Law was present along with a number of former professional footballers including
Gordon Taylor, the PFA Chief Executive. Also present were a number of two current
school pupils and they gave great speeches.
See
also:- https://markwrite.co.uk/my-work-on-behalf-of-the-pfa-to-erect-a-plaque-honouring-john-aston-junior/
I was
delighted to see the work I had played in co-ordinating the above unveiling prove
so productive.
E)
June 2021
Thanks
to the PFA it is proposed to unveil plaques to Joe Mercer and Stan Cullis at Cambridge
Road Primary School that they attended in Ellesmere Port. In early November
2020 I co-ordinated a meeting, at the school and a series of events are being planned
surrounding the planned unveilings, which it is great to report will be
attended by descendants of these former great players and managers.
F)
August 7 2021
Coach Bert
Whalley was tragically killed at Munich on 6 February 1958. Before moving in
1934 to Old Trafford as a player, Bert
played for Stalybridge Celtic and where the club has agreed to unveil a plaque
to honour him prior to a pre-season friendly game on 7 August 2021. Further events
are to be organised by the club in conjunction with the PFA.
