Fred Wheldon

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Fred Wheldon pictured in Aston Villa colours in 1897

George Frederick Wheldon (1 November 1869 – 13 January 1924) was an English sportsman. He was sometimes known as Fred or Freddie Wheldon. In football, he was an inside-forward with good footwork and an eye for goal who played for England and several Football League clubs, in particular for Small Heath and Aston Villa. In cricket, he was a right-handed batsman and occasional wicket-keeper, who played county cricket for Worcestershire in their early seasons in the first-class game.

After retiring from sport, he became a publican in Worcester, where he died at the age of 54.

Football career

Fred Wheldon nicknamed Diamond, joined Rood End White Star, aged 19 in 1888 and then his hometown club Langley Green Victoria the following season. In 1890 he joined Small Heath, who played in the Football Alliance after an unsuccessful trial with rivals and league side West Bromwich Albion.[1] He scored 8 times in 22 appearances with 3 more goals in 2 FA Cup matches. In the last season of the Alliance, that became the second division, he hit 21 goals in 22 league matches and hit 8 goals in 7 FA Cup matches, four qualifying rounds with one needing a replay. In 1892–93 inaugural season of the Football League Second Division, Wheldon scored Small Heath's first ever Football League goal, in a 5-1 home win over Port Vale.[2] He scored 25 goals in 22 appearances that season, helping the club to the top of the division, a point ahead of Sheffield United.[3] However, they failed to win promotion, losing the Test Match after a replay. Wheldon scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Newton Heath, now Manchester United, at Victoria Park, Stoke, but were condemned to another season in division 2 after losing the replay at Olive Grove, Sheffield, 5-2 after Wheldon had opened the scoring.[3] He scored 24 goals the next season, as Small Heath finished Second Division runners up to Liverpool, but this time the club were promoted.[4] Wheldon was on target in the Test Match, that was locked at 1-1 after 84 minutes. John Hallam had put Small Heath ahead before Darwen levelled before half time. Two late goals by Billy Walton and then Wheldon saw Small Heath beat Darwen 3-1 at the Victoria Ground, Stoke. In the First Division, Wheldon scored 11 in 29 appearances as Small Heath finished 12th of the 16 teams. After their second season playing in the top flight, Small Heath were relegated, with Wheldon only managing 7 goals in 30 league games in the 1895-96 season. Wheldon left to join midland rivals and reigning First Division champions Aston Villa for a fee of £350, reported to be a transfer record, in June 1896.[5] Wheldon had scored 65 goals in 109 football league matches, with a further 29 goals in 44 Football Alliance games and also 12 goals in 13 FA Cup appearances.[6]

In his first season at Villa Park, he was Aston Villa's leading scorer with 18 goals, as Villa achieved the League and Cup double. He scored in the 1897 FA Cup Final, scoring the equaliser to make it 2-2 as Villa secured a 3-2 victory over Everton at the Crystal Palace. The 1897-98 season saw Wheldon net successive hat-tricks against Sheffield Wednesday and West Bromwich Albion, finishing as the league top scorer with 21 goals. He scored 29 goals in the next two seasons, helping Aston Villa win back to back League titles in 1898-99 and 1899-1900 seasons, three league titles in four years.

Wheldon won four England caps whilst at Villa, scoring six goals. He won his first England cap against Ireland at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on 20th February 1897. Wheldon netted himself a debut hat-trick as England cruised to a 6-0 victory. Some reports however, say Wheldon's free kick took a deflection off teammate Ernest Needham for 2-0 and also a James Barron own goal made it 4-0. He then played in two further internationals, against Ireland in Belfast, England winning 3-2, and then scored twice in a 3-0 victory against Wales in Wrexham. His last cap came against Scotland at Celtic Park, in which Steve Bloomer became England’s record scorer. Wheldon scored after only 3 minutes, Bloomer then scored the other two to break the record set by Tinsley Lindley, as England won 3-1.[1]

After scoring 75 goals in 137 league and cup appearances for Aston Villa, he left to join the side that had previously rejected him as a trialist.[7] West Bromwich Albion paid a fee of £100 for his services, making him the first player to play for all three major Birmingham area clubs.[2] In his solitary season at West Brom he scored 3 times in 26 appearances.[8] In the football league Wheldon scored an impressive total of 136 league goals, in 258 appearances.[6]

He then joined Southern League side Queen’s Park Rangers for £400 in 1901 and then moved to his third club in as many years signing for Portsmouth.[9] Over the next two seasons at Pompey he scored 15 goals in 37 league and cup appearances, who then dropped out of league football in 1904, joining non-league Worcester City. Wheldon was signed as club captain for Worcester, who played in the Birmingham and District League. He played out the rest of his career at Worcester, although he did have a short spell with Coventry City in the Southern League in 1906, retiring from football, aged 37, at the end of the 1906-07 season.[2]

One of the select few who have won fame both at cricket and football. At one period of his long and brilliant career, Fred Wheldon's services would have been accepted by any club in the country. When at his best, he was undoubtedly the finest inside left forward England possessed. His command of the ball, his adaptability to prevailing conditions, combined with his dodging, his swerving, and his deadly shooting, made him a great player in the highest company. Brilliant with head and foot alike, he has always been an ornament to the game. Can boast the distinction of having represented Small Heath, Aston Villa, and West Bromwich Albion.

— The Villa News and Record 1 September 1906[10]

Cricket career

Born in Langley Green (which was then in Worcestershire),[11] Wheldon made his debut in Worcestershire's maiden first-class game, against Yorkshire in May 1899. He made a useful 49 not out in the first innings, and held two catches in Yorkshire's second.[5][6] Wheldon played in 14 matches in total that season, scoring 541 runs at an average of 33.81 including three half-centuries.[12]

The following season Wheldon had a rather thinner year, averaging under 20 despite making exactly 100 against Hampshire and in the process sharing in a sixth-wicket stand of 186 with William Lowe.[12][13] 1901 was worse still, as he did not pass 51 in 26 innings, and 1902 was little better, but he returned to form at last in 1903 with 969 runs – the most of his career[12] – including 112 against Somerset.[14] He also collected his only first-class stumping that year, against Yorkshire: Thomas Straw had been due to keep wicket, but was delayed in arriving at the ground, so Wheldon replaced him both in the team and behind the stumps.[15]

Wheldon passed 900 runs again in 1904, also collecting 40 catches – by far the most in a season in his career[12] – and making 103 against Leicestershire,[9] but thereafter his form fell away rapidly and in 1905 he recorded a disastrous aggregate of 237 runs in 18 innings,[12] dropping out of the team in late July.[16] He did return for 1906, but again his form was poor and though he made an unbeaten 89 batting at number nine against Warwickshire (out of 633; again Wheldon kept wicket) his next highest score was 31 and he played no more after the end of the season.[12][17]

Wheldon's grandson John Spilsbury played a single first-class match for Worcestershire in 1952.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "England Players - Fred Wheldon". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Tony Matthews (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Breedon Books. p. 133. ISBN 1-85983-010-2.
  3. ^ a b "1892-93 Season Final Football Tables". www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  4. ^ "1893-94 Season Final Football Tables". www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b "First-class matches played by Worcestershire". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Worcestershire v Yorkshire County Championship 1899". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Aston Villa Player Database". www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  8. ^ "DT92 ~ Fred Wheldon". doingthe92.com. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Leicestershire v Worcestershire County Championship 1904". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Fred Wheldon" – via Aston Villa Player Database.
  11. ^ "Frederick Wheldon". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "First-class batting and fielding in each season by Frederick Wheldon". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Hampshire v Worcestershire County Championship 1900". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Worcestershire v Somerset County Championship 1903". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  15. ^ "Worcestershire v Yorkshire County Championship 1903". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  16. ^ "First-class matches played by Frederick Wheldon". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Worcestershire v Warwickshire County Championship 1906". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  18. ^ "John Spilsbury". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2016.

External links

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