Edwin "Eddie" "Ted" Spicer (20 September 1922 – 25 December 2004) was a professional English footballer who played for

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. His parents were George Stephen Spicer (1894-1956) and Ethel Anne Warren (1900-1981). He was married to Norma Anne Roberts (1926-2002). They were married in March 1946 in

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

and they had two children.

Career

Born in

, England, the 17-year-old Spicer signed professional forms for Liverpool in October 1939 after impressing manager

George Kay George Kay (21 September 1891 – 18 April 1954) was an English football player and manager of Luton Town, Southampton and Liverpool. The highlight of his playing career was when he captained West Ham United in the first FA Cup final to be play ...

. Like so many professional players, Spicer's career was interrupted by the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, due to this Eddie's 'official' debut was seven years after he first signed. Immediately after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in which Eddie served in the Marines, Spicer returned to Liverpool and was finally given his debut on 30 January 1946 in the first post-war competition the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

. It was a 4th round 2nd leg tie at

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...

a game the Reds won 2–0. Unfortunately for both Spicer and Liverpool, opponents,

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

had already won the first leg 5–0, subsequently knocking Liverpool out of the cup. Spicer had to wait until 6 December 1947 for his first goal for the club,

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

were the visitors to Anfield for a league game that ended in a 3–3 draw. Eddie made 10 appearances during Liverpool's first championship winning team for 24 years in 1946–47, just short of the total required to gain himself a medal. His only medal came in the

of 1950, Spicer appeared in all of Liverpool's seven matches including the final on 29 April, the Merseysider's first ever

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

final, unfortunately,

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

were the opposition and spoilt the day by recording a 2–0 victory. Spicer, was a tough, no-nonsense defender, primarily left-sided, and he was a regular fixture in the Liverpool side during the late 40s and early 50s. He suffered with injuries, however, missing the entire 1951–52 season with a broken leg, and suffering the same injury in 1953, an injury that would eventually end his career prematurely. Despite suffering numerous injuries throughout his career, Spicer managed 168 appearances for Liverpool, scoring twice.

Statistics and honours

*Liverpool F.C. (1939–1953) - 168 appearances, 2 goals - FA Cup runners-up medal (1950)

References

External links

Player profile at LFChistory.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spicer, Eddie 1922 births English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Liverpool F.C. players Footballers from Liverpool 2004 deaths