Walter Anderson (1879 – 3 March 1904) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walter Anderson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1879 | ||
| Place of birth | England | ||
| Date of death | 3 March 1904 (aged 25) | ||
| Place of death | London, England | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Darlington | – | (–) |
| – | Thornaby Utopians | – | (–) |
| 1899–1901 | Sheffield United | 4 | (0) |
| 1901–1903 | Woolwich Arsenal | 28 | (10) |
| 1903–1904 | Plymouth Argyle | 31 | (11) |
| Total | 63 | (21) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
A diminutive forward,[2] Anderson began his career with Darlington before moving to Thornaby Utopians.[1] He became a professional in 1899 with Sheffield United and made four appearances in the First Division of the Football League over the next two years.[1] Anderson was transferred to Second Division side Woolwich Arsenal in December 1901.[2] He made his first team debut against Preston North End in a 0–0 draw on 11 January 1902 and scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win at Chesterfield Town three weeks later.[3] Having formed a partnership in the team's forward line with Bill Gooing,[2] Anderson scored five goals in 13 league games as the club finished fifth in the Second Division table.[4] The following season, he competed with Tim Coleman for a place in the team.[2] Anderson scored five league goals in 15 matches that season and one in the FA Cup, a 3–1 defeat at home to Sheffield United,[3] taking his overall tally to 11 goals in 30 appearances.[2]
Anderson was transferred to Southern League club Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 1903. Commonly known as Wattie,[5] he was signed by Frank Brettell to form part of the Devon club's first professional squad.[6] He made his debut in a 1–0 win at West Ham United on 1 September 1903 and scored his first goal in a 2–1 win at Portsmouth eight days later.[7] Having established himself as their first choice inside right,[8] he scored a hat-trick against Wellingborough on 5 December at Home Park as part of a 4–1 win.[7] Two months later, Anderson contracted pneumonia.[6] He carried on playing, ignoring doctors' advice that he should rest, and collapsed after a match against Fulham at Craven Cottage on 27 February 1904.[6] He was rushed to hospital and died four days later, at the age of 25.[2] He made 38 appearances in all competitions for Plymouth Argyle, scoring 13 goals.[7] A memorial fund was created by the club in his honour and a souvenir handbook was published, which described Anderson as "one of the greatest, cleverest and whole-hearted players a club ever commanded."[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 9.
- ^ a b c d e f "Walter Anderson". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Arsenal first team line-ups". Andy's Arsenal Resource Website. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ^ "English Division Two (old) 1901–1902 : Table". Statto Organisation. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ^ "Rise And Fall of Amateur Era As Brettell Thinks Big". Western Morning News. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ^ a b c Tonkin, W. S. (1963). All About Argyle 1903–1963. Plymouth: E. J. Rickard Ltd. pp. 14–15.
- ^ a b c Knight, Brian (1989). Plymouth Argyle Complete Record 1903–1989. Derby: Breedon Books. pp. 202–203. ISBN 0-907969-40-2.
- ^ a b "Walter Anderson". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 11 May 2011.