Charles Richard Shaw (18 November 1862 – February 1931) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

. Charlie Shaw was born in Willenhall, a suburb of

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

, Staffordshire. He played school football for Essington & Willenhall Schools. He then played football for Willenhall Pickwick moving onto

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

. Sometime before 1888 Shaw left Wolverhampton Wanderers and signed for Walsall Swifts for his first spell there leaving in August 1888. Charlie Shaw signed for West Bromwich Albion, as an amateur, in August 1888. Shaw, playing as a winger, made his West Bromwich Albion and

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

debut on 29 September 1888 at

Stoney Lane Stoney Lane was a football ground in West Bromwich, England. It was the home ground of West Bromwich Albion from 1885 until 1900. History West Bromwich Albion moved to Stoney Lane in 1885 from their Four Acres ground in 1885. A 600-seat grandst ...

, the then home of West Bromwich Albion. The visitors were

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

who were defeated by the home team 4–3. In the same match Charlie Shaw scored his club, League debut goal and only League goal of his career. When the score was 3–3 Shaw scored what proved to be the winning goal in controversial circumstances. In the last minute the referee, Mr Jope, agreed with Albion's claims that a shot from Charlie Shaw, in his only League game for the Baggies, had gone under the bar before being fisted away by Robert Kay, a decision 'hotly contested by the visitors'. Albion had won 4–3, but both sides had provided great entertainment for the crowd. An eager–beaver left–winger, Charlie Shaw came to Albion on a month's trial, playing just one senior game and scoring a goal against Burnley (home) in Division One in September 1888, (won 4–3). He spent most of his career playing for the Swifts (Walsall) and represented the Staffordshire FA XI and the Birmingham FA XI in 1888–89. Shaw rejoined Walsall Town Swifts in October 1888 and he remained there until 1893. His final club was Wednesfield Star from 1894 to 1895. He became a licensee in Wolverhampton. He died in February 1931 aged 68.

References

1862 births 1931 deaths Date of death missing English men's footballers Willenhall F.C. players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Walsall F.C. West Bromwich Albion F.C. players English Football League players Men's association football forwards Footballers from Walsall {{England-footy-forward-1860s-stub