| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francis John Sparks[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1855-07-04)4 July 1855 | ||
| Place of birth | North Benfleet, England | ||
| Date of death | 13 February 1934(1934-02-13) (aged 78) | ||
| Place of death | Romford, England | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1873 | St Albans Pilgrims | ||
| Brondesbury | |||
| 1876–1878 | Upton Park | ||
| Hertfordshire Rangers | |||
| Clapham Rovers | |||
| Wanderers | |||
| Windsor | |||
| International career | |||
| 1879–1880 | England | 3 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Francis John Sparks (4 July 1855 – 13 February 1934) was an Englishamateurfootballer, who played as aforward. He won theFA Cup in1880 withClapham Rovers and made three appearances forEngland, scoring three goals and being appointedcaptain.
Sparks was born inBillericay,Essex, and educated atKing's School, Rochester between 1870-1874.[2]
Sparks, who had played in his school's football XI between 1872 and 1874,[2] also played forSt Albans Pilgrims in 1873. He switched to joinBrondesbury later that year for the rest of the season,[3] and was part of the team defeated 5–0 by eventual finalistsRoyal Engineers in theFA Cup first round in October.
Between 1876 and 1878 he played forUpton Park before joiningHertfordshire Rangers. His firstEngland appearance came againstScotland on 5 April 1879. The match was played at theKennington Oval and had originally been scheduled for 1 April but was postponed because of heavy snowfall. At half time, England were 4–1 down to the Scots.Charlie Bambridge scored early in the second half and his teammates had levelled the score by the 75th minute. With less than ten minutes remaining, the Scots scored what they thought was the winning goal but thereferee disallowed it asoffside. The English forwards then raced upfield with Bambridge scoring the winning goal, thus enabling England to claim their first victory over the Scots since 1873 in what was described as "the most exciting England and Scotland game to date".[4][5]
Sparks then joinedClapham Rovers, helping them to reach thefinal of the1880 FA Cup. In the final againstOxford University Sparks was involved in the winning goal; with the prospect of extra time imminent, Sparks "made a clever run down the wing, crossed to the waitingClopton Lloyd-Jones who had the simple task of slotting the ball between the Oxford goalposts to secure a one-goal lead."[6] This was last appearance in an FA Cup Final for both teams.
In the month before the Cup Final, Sparks had made his last two international appearances. On 13 March he again played in the match against Scotland, this time played atHampden Park,Glasgow. The match ended in a 5–4 victory for the Scots (the most goals England have ever scored in a game and lost).[7] Sparks scored England's third goal, with two of England's goals coming fromCharlie Bambridge, whereas Scotland's scorers included ahat-trick fromGeorge Ker. His Clapham teammate,Norman Bailey also played in this match, athalf back.
Sparks' final England appearance came away toWales on 15 March, when he was appointedteam captain. Six players made their England debut in this match[8] which England won 3–2 with two goals scored by Sparks.Tom Brindle, who also scored, had to leave the game in the second half due to injury, and England played on with ten men.[9]
Sparks later represented Essex and London, and was a member ofthe Football Association Committee from 1878 to 1880.[2] He also played cricket in the King's School XI and forHertfordshire.[2]
Sparks entered work as clerk in a City of London merchant's office in 1874, but by 1901 he was a "coal traveller" (or sales representative) based inDover.[2]
He married in September 1884.[10] He died on 13 February 1934 aged 78. He was also a member of theWanderers club.[11]
Clapham Rovers
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 March 1880 | Hampden Park,Glasgow |  Scotland | 3–5 | 4–5 | Friendly |
| 2 | 15 March 1880 | Racecourse Ground,Wrexham |  Wales | 2–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 15 March 1880 | Racecourse Ground,Wrexham | Wales | 3–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
