Thomas Bartley (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Bartley | ||
| Date of birth | 1874 | ||
| Place of birth | Flint, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 24 December 1951 (aged 77) | ||
| Place of death | Newton-le-Willows, England | ||
| Position(s) | Inside-right | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1890–1896 | Flint | ||
| 1896–1897 | Port Sunlight | ||
| 1897–1899 | Glossop North End | 7[1] | (2) |
| 1899–1900 | Llandudno | ||
| 1901–1902 | Earlestown | ||
| 1902–1903 | Ashton Wanderers | ||
| 1903–19?? | Earlestown | ||
| International career | |||
| 1898 | Wales | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Thomas Bartley (1874 – 24 December 1951) was a Welsh footballer who played as an inside forward for various clubs in the 1890s and 1900s and made one appearance for Wales.
Football career
[edit]Bartley was born in Flint in North Wales and played for his local club in the North Wales Coast League[2] as well as reaching the first final of the Welsh Amateur Cup in 1891.[3] At Flint, he gained a reputation for his goal-scoring, although he did "tend towards rough play".[2] His older brother, Arthur, played as goalkeeper for Flint and died from injuries sustained during a match in August 1891, thus becoming the first known fatality in modern Welsh football.[2][4]
In 1896, he moved to England spending a year at Port Sunlight in the Wirral & District League before he was signed for Glossop North End. Described as "good in the air and possessing a rasping shot", Bartley "infused bite and determination into the (Glossop) forward line".[2]
Glossop NE were backed by Samuel Hill-Wood with ambitions of reaching the English Football League. Having finished as runners-up in the Midland League in the 1896–97 season, they could only manage to finish ninth in Bartley's first season.[5] Despite this, they were invited to join an expanded Football League Second Division, finishing as runners-up in 1898–99.[6] Bartley played in Glossop's opening match in the Football League in September 1898 against Blackpool.[2] During his one season in the Football League, Bartley made seven appearances, scoring twice.[7] He didn't play in the First Division and in the summer of 1899 returned to North Wales to spend a year at Llandudno.[2]
Bartley's solitary international appearance came in March 1898, when he replaced Thomas Thomas for the Home Championship match against England; the match finished 3–0 in favour of England.[8]
In 1901, he returned to Lancashire where he settled at Newton-le-Willows for the rest of his life.[2] He joined Earlestown, where he became known for his "splendid ball control" and heading ability.[9] In particular, he was renowned for his ability to place a corner kick under the crossbar, providing scoring opportunities for his fellow forwards.[9] Described as "a great utility player", he was able to take over from an injured player anywhere on the pitch.[9]
Later career
[edit]During World War I, Bartley enlisted in the Royal Welch Fusiliers.[9] He later worked as a wood machinist in a railway wagon works.[2] He remained associated with the Earlestown club for the rest of his life, spending some time on the club committee.[9]
He died on 24 December 1951, aged 77.[9]
Honours
[edit]- Welsh Amateur Cup finalists: 1891
- Football League Second Division runners-up: 1898–99
References
[edit]- ^ Football League only
- ^ a b c d e f g h Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. pp. 15–16. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
- ^ "Welsh Amateur Cup Final Results". penmon.org. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ "1898". Interesting and curious facts about full internationals and national players (1872–1900). IFFHS. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ Abbink, Dinant (31 July 2008). "Final Table Midland League 1897–98". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ Gibbons, Philip (2001). Association Football in Victorian England – A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900. Upfront Publishing. p. 420. ISBN 1-84426-035-6.
- ^ Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 19. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
- ^ "Wales 0 England 3". Welsh Football Data Archive. 28 March 1898. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Dowd, Steven (21 September 1979). "Some Earlestown Sporting History". Warrington Guardian. newton-le-willows.com. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- 1874 births
- People from Flint, Flintshire
- Footballers from Flintshire
- 1951 deaths
- Welsh men's footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- Flint Town United F.C. players
- Glossop North End A.F.C. players
- Llandudno F.C. players
- Wales men's international footballers
- Royal Welch Fusiliers soldiers
- British Army personnel of World War I
- English Football League players
- Military personnel from Flintshire