Ted Holdcroft
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hugh Edward Holdcroft[1] | ||
| Date of birth | c. 1882[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Stoke-upon-Trent, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 4 February 1952 (age 69-70)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Norton le Moors, England[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre half / Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1901–1903 | Burslem Port Vale | 16 | (1) |
| 1903–1905 | Stoke | 43 | (11) |
| Total | 59 | (12) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Hugh Edward Holdcroft (c. 1882 – 4 February 1952) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burslem Port Vale and Stoke in the early 1900s.
Career[edit]
Holdcroft joined Burslem Port Vale in October 1901.[1] His debut came at centre-half in a goalless draw with Preston North End at the Athletic Ground on 8 September 1902.[1] He scored his first goal in the Football League on 25 October, converting a penalty in a 3–3 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor.[1] He became a first-team regular for the Second Division side from the next month until he suffered a toe injury in February 1903 and transferred to local rivals Stoke in March 1903.[1] At £500 this was a club record for Stoke.[2]
Holdcroft was converted into a centre forward at the Victoria Ground with mixed success.[3] He hit two goals in a 5–2 win over Liverpool on 17 October 1903, and opened the 1905–06 season with a goal in each of the first three First Division games, but other than these highlights he proved to be far from a natural goalscorer and in three seasons he scored 11 goals in 44 appearances.[3] After retiring due to an ankle injury and later suffering a serious illness that prevented him finding a job, Vale and Stoke held a benefit match on his behalf on 29 April 1907; the game finished 1–1.[4] This would prove to be Burslem Port Vale's final ever match, as the club were dissolved, only to re-emerge later in the year when Cobridge Church renamed themselves Port Vale F.C.
Career statistics[edit]
Source:[5]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Burslem Port Vale | 1902–03 | Second Division | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| Stoke[3] | 1902–03 | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1903–04 | First Division | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | |
| 1904–05 | First Division | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | |
| 1905–06 | First Division | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 | |
| Total | 43 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 11 | ||
| Career total | 59 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 62 | 12 | ||
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 139. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ "Record recruits made huge impacts to justify their big-money moves". The Sentinel Green 'Un. 6 February 2016. p. 7.
- ^ a b c Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ Kent, Jeff (November 1998). The Potteries Derbies. Witan Books. p. 76. ISBN 0-9529152-3-5.
- ^ Ted Holdcroft at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)