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Ralph Rodgerson

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For his son, see Ralph Rodgerson (footballer, born 1913).

Ralph Rodgerson
Personal information
Full name Ralph Rodgerson[1]
Date of birth (1892-12-30)30 December 1892[1]
Place of birth Sunderland,[1] England
Date of death 10 July 1939(1939-07-10) (aged 46)
Place of death Sunderland, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Full back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Pallion Institute
Burnley 0 (0)
1913–1921 Huddersfield Town 26 (0)
Dundee (loan) 2 (0)
1921–1922 Leeds United 27 (0)
1922–1923 Sunderland West End
1923 Dundee 5 (0)
Spennymoor United
Carlisle United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ralph Rodgerson (30 December 1892 – 10 July 1939) was an English professional footballer who made 53 appearances in the Football League playing as a full back for Huddersfield Town and Leeds United. He was on the books of Burnley without playing for their first team, played in the Scottish League for Dundee both during the First World War (on loan from Huddersfield) and afterwards, and played non-League football for Pallion Institute, Sunderland West End, Spennymoor United and Carlisle United.

Life and career

Rodgerson was born in Sunderland in 1892,[1] a son of Joseph Rodgerson, an iron worker, and his wife Margaret. The 1911 Census records the 18-year-old Rodgerson also an iron worker and living with his extended family in the Pallion district of the town.[3] He played football for a local team, Pallion Institute, and spent time with Burnley during the 1912–13 season before signing for another Second Division club, Huddersfield Town, in 1913.[1][4] Rodgerson made his first-team debut on 17 October 1914, standing in at right back for the injured Willie McLaren in a 3–2 win away to Fulham.[5] It was his last senior outing of the season, at the end of which competitive football was suspended for the duration of the First World War.[1]

He was able to play for Huddersfield in the wartime matches: in 1917, the Sheffield-based Sports Special assessed him as a "dashing left back—a determined tackier, with big clearances in both boots", but warned him against "over-robustness", suggesting that "his weight, fairly applied, in conjunction with his skill, will enable him to answer all reasonable requirements."[6] and also appeared twice for Dundee in the 1916–17 Scottish League, which did continue during the war.[1][7]

In 1919, Rodgerson played three times for Hartlepools United in the Northern Victory League[8] before returning to Huddersfield for the resumption of the Football League. He had a run of seven matches at left back early in the 1919–20 Football League season and made four more appearances later on, in each case covering for one or other of the regular backs, Fred Bullock and James Wood, as Huddersfield finished second in the table and were promoted to the First Division.[1][9] The new season began in similar vein: with Wood injured, Rodgerson partnered Bullock in four matches, after which Huddersfield were top of the table, but as soon as Wood regained fitness Rodgerson lost his place.[1][10] For much of the middle part of the season, Rodgerson was in the side,[11][12] and he took his top-flight appearance total to 14. His last was on 12 February, and in March, he signed for Leeds United of the Second Division.[1]

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the transfer fee was undisclosed, but "it may be assumed that ... it is at a much more moderate figure than the £1,500 which Town refused for Rodgerson's transfer last season."[2] He was described as "very sturdily built", and despite "a tendency to become reckless in his tackling when hard pressed, and to dribble the ball instead of getting rid of it ... his play improved markedly while he was regularly included in the league team."[2] He played three times in what remained of the season,[1] and began the 1921–22 season partnering Bert Duffield in the league side. Rodgerson continued in the team, either alongside Duffield or Jimmy Frew, until mid-February 1922 when manager Arthur Fairclough decided to pair Frew and Duffield.[1]

Rodgerson was transfer-listed by Leeds[13] at a fee of £250,[14] and played Wearside League football for Sunderland West End before rejoining Dundee. Although he made a promising debut,[15] the slowness initially attributed to an understandable lack of fitness failed to improve, his tackling lost its certainty, his clearances under pressure became panicky,[16] and he lost his place. His performances picked up again, and he played seven matches in all for the first team, five in the League and two in the Scottish Cup.[17][18] He returned to England and played for North-Eastern League clubs Spennymoor United and Carlisle United.[1]

Rodgerson was married to Evelyn.[19] A son, also named Ralph, played First Division football for Sunderland in the 1930s. In July 1939, the 46-year-old Rodgerson was working as a labourer for the Sunderland Gas Company when he collapsed and died while digging a trench. An inquest returned a verdict of death from natural causes, specifically heart disease.[20][19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Player search: Rodgerson, R (Ralph)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Leeds United recruit. Huddersfield Town full back transferred". Yorkshire Evening Post. 21 March 1921. p. 8.
  3. ^ "Ralph Rodgerson". Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. RG14/30162 – via Ancestry Library Edition.
  4. ^ "Huddersfield Town". Athletic News. Manchester. 18 August 1913. p. 5.
  5. ^ "Town teams for to-morrow". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 16 October 1914. p. 4.
  6. ^ "Prominent people. Hefty Rodgerson". Sports Special. Sheffield. 3 November 1917. p. 2.
  7. ^ "1916/17". DundeeFC.net. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Ralph Rodgerson". In The Mad Crowd. John Phillips. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  9. ^ Looker On (15 April 1920). "Sports and pastimes. The outlook for Huddersfield Town". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. p. 8. The regular backs are Wood and Bullock, with a capable understudy for either position in Rodgerson.
  10. ^ "Huddersfield Town concede a point to Sunderland". Yorkshire Post. 27 September 1920. p. 4. The most gratifying feature of the game was the complete recovery of Wood at back and the form of the reserve half back Linley.
  11. ^ "Derby County's visitors". Derby Daily Telegraph. 31 December 1920. p. 3. Bullock, Fred. ... Has been out the side for some time injured, but is now well again.
  12. ^ "Park Avenue enthusiasm". Leeds Mercury. 29 January 1921. p. 9. Wood, who was hurt at Park Avenue a fortnight ago, will be fit to take up his usual partnership with Bullock
  13. ^ "Leeds United". Yorkshire Post. 9 May 1922. p. 5.
  14. ^ "Untitled". Nottingham Evening Post. 4 January 1923. p. 5.
  15. ^ "Dave McLean missed". Courier and Argus. Dundee. 8 January 1923. p. 6.
  16. ^ "Dundee forward weakness". Courier and Argus. Dundee. 29 January 1923. p. 6.
  17. ^ "Listless Dundee forwards". Courier and Argus. Dundee. 5 March 1923. p. 6.
  18. ^ "1922/23". DundeeFC.net. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  19. ^ a b "Due to natural causes. Wearsider's death after trench digging". Sunderland Echo. 11 July 1939. p. 10.
  20. ^ "Fatal collapse". Sunderland Echo. 10 July 1939. p. 7. Ralph Rodgerson, of 7 Garden Place, Sunderland, the former Huddersfield player and father of Ralph Rodgerson, the Sunderland reserve left back, collapsed and died in Heatherlea Gardens while at work for the Sunderland Gas Co. to-day. He was rushed to the Sunderland Infirmary, but had evidently had a heart attack and was beyond aid.
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