 Rimmer in 1926 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ellis James Rimmer | ||
| Date of birth | 2 January 1907 | ||
| Place of birth | Birkenhead, England | ||
| Date of death | 16 March 1965(1965-03-16) (aged 58) | ||
| Place of death | Formby, England | ||
| Position(s) | Outside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Parkside | |||
| Northern Nomads | |||
| Whitchurch | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1924–1928 | Tranmere Rovers | 62 | (20) |
| 1928–1938 | Sheffield Wednesday | 382 | (122) |
| 1938–1939 | Ipswich Town | 3 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1930–1931 | England | 4 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ellis Rimmer (2 January 1907 – 16 March 1965) was an English professionalfootballer who played forTranmere Rovers,Sheffield Wednesday andIpswich Town. He was aleft winger who was quite tall and scored his fair share of headed goals. His career lasted from 1924 until 1939 during which time he played 447 league games, scoring 142 goals, he also played for theEngland national football team on four occasions.
Rimmer was born inBirkenhead on 2 January 1907, he played as an amateur for Parkside,Northern Nomads andWhitchurch before signing as a professional for Tranmere Rovers as a 17-year-old in 1924. In his three seasons with Tranmere, Rimmer played briefly with football legendsDixie Dean andTom 'Pongo' Waring, making 62 league appearances and scoring 20 goals. His good form alerted other clubs and in February 1928 he was signed by Sheffield Wednesday managerBob Brown for a fee of £3,000.
Sheffield Wednesday were in a grave situation when Rimmer signed for them, they were seven points adrift at the foot ofDivision One. However Rimmer, who made his Wednesday debut on 25 February 1928 againstNewcastle United, was to take part in what has gone down in Sheffield Wednesday history as the "Great Escape" as they picked up 17 points from a possible 20 in their last 10 matches to avoid relegation by a single point. The following two seasons saw Wednesday transformed from relegation strugglers to league winners as they lifted the Division One title in 1928–29 and 1929–30 with Rimmer a virtual ever present on the left wing. He played in Sheffield Wednesday's 2–1 defeat by Arsenal in theCharity Shield atStamford Bridge in October 1930.[1]
In April 1930 he was called up by England for his first international cap, scoring twice in a 5–2 victory overScotland in the1930 British Home Championship. Three other Wednesday playersBill Marsden,Alf Strange andErnie Blenkinsop all played in that match. Rimmer played a further three international matches, his last being just before his 25th birthday in December 1931 againstSpain.[2][3][4]
The first two full seasons of the 1930s saw Rimmer net 24 and 23 goals respectively, an excellent effort for a winger whose main job was to provide chances for other players. The 1934–35 season was probably his most memorable as Wednesday lifted theFA Cup with Rimmer netting two late goals in the final againstWest Bromwich Albion. He scored eight FA Cup goals in total that season and achieved the rare feat of scoring in every round, only twelve players have managed this in the history of English football.[5] He also scored 18 league goals to give him a best ever season tally of 26 and finished as Wednesday's top scorer. He continued to be a regular for Wednesday until March 1938 whenBill Fallon took his place on the left wing. In his 10-year career with Sheffield Wednesday, Rimmer played 418 games in all competitions, scoring 140 goals.
Rimmer was transferred toDivision Three South team Ipswich Town in August 1938, making his debut againstCardiff City on 10 September 1938. He only made four appearances for Ipswich before deciding to retire in January 1939 after playing his last match againstNorthampton Town in a Southern Section Cup tie.[6]
After retirement Rimmer ran The Hallamshire House,[7] a public house inSheffield and then inFormby,Merseyside. He died in Formby on 16 March 1965, aged 58.
