| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Ernest Stevenson | ||
| Date of birth | (1912-08-09)9 August 1912 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 2 September 1985(1985-09-02) (aged 73)[1] | ||
| Position | Inside-left | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1932 | Dolphin | ||
| 1932–1934 | Rangers | 12 | (7) |
| 1934–1949 | Everton | 255 | (82) |
| →Tranmere Rovers (guest) | |||
| →Blackpool (guest) | |||
| 1949–1950 | Bootle Athletic | ||
| International career | |||
| 1931 | Irish Free State juniors | ||
| 1932–1948 | Irish Free State | ||
| →Ireland (FAI) | 7 | (0) | |
| 1933–1947 | Ireland (IFA) | 19 | (5) |
| 1935 | Ireland/Wales XI | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1953–1954 | Republic of Ireland | ||
| 1954–1958 | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| 1958–1960 | Waterford A.F.C. | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alexander Ernest Stevenson (9 August 1912 – 2 September 1985) was an Irishfootballer who played forRangers andEverton, amongst other teams. As an international, Stevenson also played for both Ireland teams – theFAI XI and theIFA XI. Stevenson is one of only two footballers to have played for both the senior FAI XI and Glasgow Rangers and is one of only five players born in what is now the Republic of Ireland to play for the club, the others beingAlex Craig,James Lowry McAuley,Jon Daly, andCiara Grant.
Stevenson began his career withDolphins in theLeague of Ireland. In 1932 he helped them reach the final of theFAI Cup where they lost 1–0 toShamrock Rovers. Shortly afterwards, on 8 May 1932, aged 19 and while still a Dolphins player, he made his debut for theFAI XI in a 2–0 away win against theNetherlands. In August 1932 he signed forRangers after being spotted byArthur Dixon, a club coach. As part of the transfer deal, Rangers played Dolphins in a friendly atDalymount Park in 1933. Stevenson spent just a season and a half at Rangers. Although he made just 12 appearances in theScottish League, he scored 7 goals and developed a reputation as a highly intelligent player. While at Rangers, Stevenson also made his debut for theIFA XI and he helped the club win theDivision One title during the1933–34 season.
In January 1934 Stevenson signed forEverton for a fee of £2,750 and made his debut for the club againstArsenal the following month. He remains one ofEverton's all-time top goalscorers. He was also a great supplier of goals, first toDixie Dean and then toTommy Lawton and he formed an excellent understanding with fellowIrish internationalJackie Coulter on the left wing. In1938–39, together with Lawton,Joe Mercer andTommy G. Jones he was a member of the Everton team that won the lastFirst Division title before the start of theSecond World War. During this campaign he scored 10 goals in 36 games.
During the war, while continuing to play for Everton, Stevenson also enlisted in theRAF. Between 1939 and 1946 he made 202 appearances and scored 89 goals for Everton in wartime regional leagues. One of the highlights of his wartime career came on 1 June 1940 when he scored a hat-trick in the last five minutes of a game againstManchester United. As well as playing for Everton, he also turned out as a guest for bothTranmere Rovers andBlackpool. After the war Stevenson played in an Everton team that also included fellowIrish internationalsPeter Farrell,Tommy Eglington andPeter Corr and future team managerHarry Catterick. By the time he finished his career with the club he had made 255Football League appearances and scored 82 league goals. He also played a further 16 games and scored a further 8 goals in theFA Cup. He made his final league appearance for Everton on 7 May 1949.
When Stevenson began his international career in 1932 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, theBelfast-basedIFA and theDublin-basedFAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including Stevenson, played for both teams.
Between 1932 and 1948 Stevenson made 7 appearances for the FAI XI, making his international debut on 8 May 1932 in a 2–0 win against theNetherlands. His teammates that day also included fellow dual internationalists,Mick O'Brien,Jimmy Kelly andPaddy Moore. In October 1931 Stevenson had also played for a junior FAI XI againstScotland atFalkirk. However, Stevenson had to wait for fourteen years, partly because of theSecond World War, before he made his second appearance for theFAI XI on 30 September 1946 in a 1–0 defeat toEngland.
Puzzled by the fourteen-year gap between his first and second FAI cap, Stevenson apparently approached both theEverton secretary-manager,Theo Kelly, and theFAI secretaryJoe Wickham for an explanation but neither was prepared to offer one. Stevenson, who was aProtestant, was accused in some quarters of refusing to play for the FAI XI on religious grounds, but he was adamant that religion had nothing to do with it on his part.[2] He subsequently played for the FAI XI a further five times, helping them to a notable victory againstSpain on 2 March 1947. He made his last appearance for the FAI XI on 5 December 1948 in a 1–0 defeat againstSwitzerland. However this was not his last involvement with the FAI. Between 1953 and 1955 Stevenson served as coach of theRepublic of Ireland.
Between1933 and1947 Stevenson also made 19 appearances and scored 5 goals for theIFA XI, making his debut on 16 September 1933 in a 2–1 away win againstScotland, with the press praising his contribution.[3] He subsequently formed a notable inside forward partnership withPeter Doherty. He scored his first goal for the IFA XI on 6 February 1935 in 2–1 defeat againstEngland. He also scored against England in a 5–1 defeat on 23 October 1937. His remaining three goals were all scored againstWales in 1936, 1937 and 1947.
On 11 May 1935, atGoodison Park, Stevenson also played for anIreland/Wales XI in a 10–2 defeat against anEnglish League XI. During theSecond World War, he also played in two wartime internationals for the IFA XI. On 9 September 1944 atWindsor Park, he played an 8–4 defeat against aCombined Services XI. This team was basically aGreat Britain XI and featured, among others,Matt Busby,Stanley Matthews,Tommy Lawton andStan Mortensen. He also played in theVictory international against Scotland atWindsor Park on 2 February 1946.
On 27 November,1946 Stevenson was one of seven players who had been born in theIrish Free State, to be selected by the IFA to play againstScotland. The other six wereJohnny Carey,Con Martin,Bill Gorman,Tommy Eglington,Peter Farrell andDavy Walsh. On 16 April 1947, he scored his last goal for the IFA XI in a 2–1 win againstWales. These two results helped the IFA XI finish as runners-up in the1947 British Home Championship. Later that year, Stevenson made his last appearance for the IFA XI on 4 October 1947 in a 2–0 win against Scotland.
Dolphins
Rangers
Everton