English footballer (1919?2002)
Albert Stubbins
|
Date of birth
|
(
1919-07-17
)
17 July 1919
|
---|
Place of birth
|
Wallsend
, England
|
---|
Date of death
|
28 December 2002
(2002-12-28)
(aged 83)
|
---|
Position(s)
|
Centre forward
|
---|
|
|
Whitley & Monkseaton
|
---|
|
Sunderland
|
---|
|
Years
|
Team
|
Apps
|
(
Gls
)
|
---|
1937?1946
|
Newcastle United
|
27
|
(5)
|
---|
1946?1953
|
Liverpool
|
159
|
(75)
|
---|
1953?1954
|
Ashington
|
|
|
---|
Total
|
|
186
|
(80)
|
---|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
|
Albert Stubbins
(17 July 1919 ? 28 December 2002) was an English
footballer
who played as a
centre forward
. His career was limited by the onset of
World War II
. While playing for
Liverpool
, he won the
League Championship
in 1947. He was later included on the front cover of
The Beatles
'
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
album.
Career
[
edit
]
Born in
Wallsend
, Tyne and Wear, England, he spent his early years in the United States, returning to Wallsend, where he attended Carville School, in 1929. Stubbins first played for
Newcastle United
in 1937, appearing in official games 30 times and scoring six goals for the team. In wartime games (classified as friendlies) he scored 231 goals in just 188 appearances.
In 1946 he was signed by
Liverpool
for a then club record of £12,500. Stubbins had also been approached by Liverpool's closest rivals,
Everton
, and he settled the decision with a toss of the coin. He made an immediate impact at the club: making his debut on 14 September 1946 in a league match at
Burnden Park
he scored an 82nd-minute goal as the Reds left it late to claim a 3?1 victory over
Bolton Wanderers
.
Following his move to Liverpool, Stubbins scored 28 goals (24 league goals) in the 1946?47 season (making him joint top scorer with
Jack Balmer
) helping Liverpool to win the
League Championship
, their first in 24 years. Stubbins also scored 24 goals the following season. Although a contractual dispute in the 1948?49 season limited his appearances for the Merseyside club, he then helped Liverpool reach the
1950 FA Cup Final
, the first time Liverpool had appeared at
Wembley
. However, they lost to
Arsenal
by two goals to nil.
On 18 October 1950, at
Blackpool
's
Bloomfield Road
, Stubbins netted five goals in
the Football League
's 6?3 victory over the
Irish League
in an exhibition match.
[1]
Injuries forced him to retire in 1953, having scored 83 goals in 178 appearances, or 1 every 2.1 games. Despite his club success, he played for the
England
only once, in an unofficial international against
Wales
in 1945, a game England lost 1?0.
Later life
[
edit
]
Following his retirement, Stubbins entered a full-time career in sports journalism, although he briefly coached an American semi-professional side, the
New York Americans
in 1960.
Stubbins later appeared on the front cover of
The Beatles
'
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
album, the only footballer to be depicted. He also has a Liverpool FC fan club named in his honour. He also featured as a minor character in Stephen Baxter's time-travelling novel
The Time Ships
. He died in 2002, aged 83, after a short illness.
Career details
[
edit
]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
[2]
Club
|
Season
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
League Cup
|
Europe
|
Others
|
Total
|
App
|
Goals
|
App
|
Goals
|
App
|
Goals
|
App
|
Goals
|
App
|
Goals
|
App
|
Goals
|
Liverpool
|
1952?53
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
1951?52
|
12
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
12
|
5
|
1950?51
|
23
|
6
|
1
|
0
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
24
|
6
|
1949?50
|
28
|
10
|
7
|
1
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
35
|
11
|
1948?49
|
15
|
6
|
3
|
1
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
18
|
7
|
1947?48
|
40
|
24
|
2
|
2
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
42
|
26
|
1946?47
|
36
|
24
|
6
|
4
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
42
|
28
|
Newcastle United
|
1946-47
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
1
|
1945-46
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
1938-39
|
23
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
24
|
4
|
1937-38
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
?
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
Total
|
186
|
80
|
22
|
9
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
208
|
89
|
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]