 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Sturgess[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1882-10-21)21 October 1882 | ||
| Place of birth | Etruria, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 16 July 1957(1957-07-16) (aged 74)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Sheffield, England[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Wing half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tunstall Cresswells | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1902–1907 | Stoke | 124 | (3) |
| 1908–1922 | Sheffield United | 353 | (5) |
| 1923–1925 | Norwich City | 47 | (0) |
| Total | 524 | (8) | |
| International career | |||
| 1911–1914 | England | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Albert Sturgess (21 October 1882 – 16 July 1957) was an Englishfootballer who played inthe Football League forNorwich City,Sheffield United andStoke, and theEngland national team.[1]
Albert Sturgess was born on 21 October 1882 in Basford Hollow,Etruria, Staffordshire.[2] The eldest of five children to Thomas and Martha Jane, his father was a potter's printer.[2] He worked in the pottery industry and joined the North Staffordshire Regiment in April 1891.[2] He married Amelia Harrison in 1902 and went on to have three children: Albert, Cyril Richmond and Amelia Lily.[2] After retiring from football, he worked as a steel roller and later opened a china shop inEcclesall Road,Sheffield.[4][2] He died on 16 July 1957, aged 74.[2]
Sturgess started his career with amateur side Tunstall Cresswells before joiningStoke in 1902. He broke into the first team in1905–06 thanks to the departure ofJames Bradley to Liverpool.[1] Stoke, who had survived several relegation battles in the early 1900s, were relegated in1906–07[1] and financial difficulties led to the club falling out of the Football League in1907–08. To raise funds, Sturgess was sold toSheffield United in 1908.[1]
Arriving at Sheffield United alongsideGeorge Gallimore, for the maximum transfer fee at the time of £350, Sturgess played primarily at wing-half or half-back, forging a formidable partnership withGeorge Utley andBill Brelsford. He made his début forthe Blades in aDivision One match atBury on 1 September 1908, replacingErnest Needham at left-half.
Part of the victorious Sheffield UnitedFA Cup winning team of1915, when United beatChelsea 3–1 atOld Trafford, on 24 April 1915, he went on to make 353league appearances for the Blades, scoring five goals, between 1908 and 1922.
Afterthe First World War, he played mainly as a full-back but was utilised in most positions in the team.In 1923, he joinedNorwich City where he made 47 appearances, helping them to what was then their best-ever league finish, 11th inDivision Three South. He retired from football in 1925, aged 42.
Sturgess, although not as naturally gifted as some of his contemporaries, was noted for his determination and willingness to graft; he was a tall, wiry defender,nicknamedhairpin because of his build. He was renowned for his skill in tackling and long, accurate kicking, and was almost ever-present in the Sheffield United team until his late thirties.
While with Sheffield United, Sturgess won 2Englandcaps – versusNorthern Ireland at theBaseball Ground on 11 February 1911, and versusScotland atHampden Park on 14 April 1914.
Source:[5]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke | 1902–03 | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1903–04 | First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1904–05 | First Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1905–06 | First Division | 37 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 1 | |
| 1906–07 | First Division | 37 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 2 | |
| 1907–08 | Second Division | 37 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| Total | 124 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 135 | 4 | ||
| Sheffield United | 1908–09 | First Division | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 1909–10 | First Division | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 1910–11 | First Division | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| 1911–12 | First Division | 32 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 3 | |
| 1912–13 | First Division | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 1913–14 | First Division | 28 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| 1914–15 | First Division | 36 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| 1919–20 | First Division | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |
| 1920–21 | First Division | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| 1921–22 | First Division | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 1922–23 | First Division | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Total | 353 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 375 | 5 | ||
| Norwich City | 1923–24 | Third Division South | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| 1924–25 | Third Division South | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 52 | 0 | ||
| Career Total | 524 | 8 | 38 | 1 | 562 | 9 | ||
Source:[6]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1911 | 1 | 0 |
| 1914 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
Sheffield United
England
Specific
General
