Ernest Needham
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| Ernest Needham | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ernest Needham | |
| Date of birth | 21 January 1873 | |
| Place of birth | Whittington Moor, Chesterfield, England | |
| Date of death | 8 March 1936 (aged 63) | |
| Place of death | Chesterfield, England | |
| Playing position | Half-Back | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1892-1909 |
Sheffield United Career |
464 (49) 464 (49) |
| National team | ||
| 1894-1902 |
England | 16 (3) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Ernest Needham (21 January 1873 at Whittington Moor, Chesterfield –8 March 1936) was an English football player.
'Nudger' Needham was an outstanding left half who played for Sheffield United from 1891 until 1910. He was instrumental in their promotion campaign of 1892-93 and then captained their team from 1895 to 1905. Under his captaincy, United won the Football League First Division in 1898 and the FA Cup in 1899 and 1902.
Short yet solidly built and blessed with immense stamina, he was fast, resolute and brave. His consistently accomplished and energetic displays made him the star of the side and won him the title, 'the prince of half backs'. Writer Alfred Gibson made the following comments about Needham in 1906:
- "There is one thing which has made Earnest Needham stand out of the common run of halves; he is neither a constructive nor a destructive half-back alone; he is both at once. One moment you will see him falling back to the defence of his own goal, or checking the speedy rush of his wing; the next, he is up with his forwards, feeding them to a nicety, and always making the best of every opening. Where he gets his pace from is a mystery. He never seems to be racing, yet he must be moving at racing pace; he never seems to be exhausted, yet in a big game he is practically doing three men's work."
A fine shot, Needham possessed great ball control: "This is one of the secrets of his greatness for very seldom when he has the ball is he deprived of it, whilst the accuracy of his wing passes, and the telling force of his punches straight across the field to an unprotected wing, spell danger to any kind of defence."
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[edit] Club Career
Having previously played for Waverley FC, Staveley Wanderers, Needham agreed to sign for United when they met his club, Staveley Town on February 10, 1891 but did not make his debut for the Blades until September 5, in a pre-season game against Woolwich Arsenal. Originally a right winger, injuries during his first season saw him move to left half.
After 554 appearances, including 464 League games and 49 F.A. Cup ties, Needham retired from football. His final game for United came on January 22, 1910 against Bolton Wanderers, and with Needham having played in every season in the Football League that United had played, it marked the end of a golden era for the Blades that they have never since matched.
[edit] International Career
Needham made his debut for England against Scotland in April 1894. He was an England regular for many years and the first Sheffield United player to captain the England national side. He represented England 16 times, and the Football League ten times.
[edit] Cricket Career
In addition to his career as a footballer, Needham also played first-class cricket for Derbyshire from 1901 to 1912, clocking up 186 appearances and scoring 6550 runs at 20.15, including seven centuries. He played in the game at Chesterfield in 1904 when visitors Essex set an unwanted record by losing despite amassing 597 in their first innings.
[edit] Sheffield United Stats
| Season | Division | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | Other Apps | Other Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891–92 | Northern League | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 4 |
| 1892–93 | Division 2 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 33 | 8 |
| 1893–94 | Division 1 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 3 |
| 1894–95 | Division 1 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| 1895–96 | Division 1 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 5 |
| 1896–97 | Division 1 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 6 |
| 1897–98 | Division 1 | 29 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 9 |
| 1898–99 | Division 1 | 29 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 8 |
| 1899–1900 | Division 1 | 25 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 2 |
| 1900–01 | Division 1 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 |
| 1901–02 | Division 1 | 26 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
| 1902–03 | Division 1 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 |
| 1903–04 | Division 1 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| 1904–05 | Division 1 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
| 1905–06 | Division 1 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 |
| 1906–07 | Division 1 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 4 |
| 1907–08 | Division 1 | 32 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 |
| 1908–09 | Division 1 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 1909–10 | Division 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 464 | 49 | 49 | 12 | 41 | 4 | 554 | 65 |
[edit] Honours
[edit] References
- Ernest Needham England profile at Englandstats
- Needham, Ernest (1901). Association Football. Soccer Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1862230835
- Clarebrough, Denis (1989). Sheffield United F.C., The First 100 years. Sheffield United Football Club. ISBN 0-9508588-1-1.
- Young, Percy A. (1962). Football in Sheffield. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. ISBN 0-9506272-4-0.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Oakley |
England football captain 1901 |
Succeeded by G.O. Smith |
